The second-largest criminal case ever prosecuted in Erie has produced a guilty plea for a 36-year-old Erie resident charged with having two “Glock switches” — small, chip-like devices that allow a semiautomatic Glock handgun to fire as a fully automatic weapon.
The defendant, Brendon Malone, faces a recommended sentence of three years and one month in federal prison when he is sentenced in March, according to court records. Malone pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Erie on Nov. 14 to the sole charge against him — one felony county of unlawful possession of a machine gun.
A “Glock switch” or “auto sear” is an illegal device that made a handgun fully automatic. Law enforcement says the devices are becoming increasingly common.
Malone was indicted in August 2024 on a charge that he possessed the two Glock switches — also known as “Glock conversion devices” and “Glock auto sears” — in Erie on Feb. 15, 2024.
His indictment was unsealed in September 2024 as the U.S. Attorney’s Office unsealed a total of nine separate but related indictments in which a total of 26 defendants were charged with offenses related to drug trafficking, guns and conspiracy in Erie. Several other defendants have also pleaded guilty.
The 26 defendants ranked as the most in a criminal case in Erie after the 58-defendant 4-Nation gang and drug case. The federal indictment in the 4-Nation case was unsealed in June 2023.
Glock switches outlawed along with machine guns
Malone was investigated as part of the 26-defendant drug probe and investigators ended up charging him with possession of the Glock switches, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The office said Malone was accused of acting as the middleman in a transaction involving the switches.
Glock switches are tiny metal or plastic pieces. When inserted, they allow handguns to fire multiple rounds with the single pull of the trigger, like a machine gun.
Machine guns and other devices that can transform regular firearms into machine guns are illegal in the United States with some exceptions. Civilians must obtain a special license to possess a machine gun ― a fully automatic firearm that fires as long as the trigger is depressed and bullets are chambered.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has also classified Glock switches as machine guns that are outlawed.
Malone’s case is the third machine-gun case prosecuted in federal court in Erie since May 2024. Federal officials warned of the threat of Glock switches in announcing the indictments against Malone and the other defendants in the 26-defendant case on Sept. 19, 2024.
“Semiautomatic handguns were converted into fully automatic pistols,” Christopher Giordano, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, which includes Erie, said at the news conference on the case at Erie City Hall. Speaking in general, he said, “Countless lives across the country have been taken because of these Glock switches.”
Malone faced up to 10 years in federal prison
Court records show Malone’s recommended sentence of 37 months falls within the range of 37 months to 46 months under the federal sentencing guidelines, which take into account such factors as a defendant’s prior record, which applies to Malone. Malone’s recommended sentence also calls for three years of supervised release.
Malone faced a maximum possible prison sentence of 10 years.
The prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Sellers, and Malone’s lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Jeff Carr, agreed to the 37-month sentence as part of the plea deal, according to court records.
U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter accepted Malone’s guilty plea and set sentencing for March 6. Malone remains in prison without bond.
Carr urged Baxter to follow the 37-month recommended sentence in a sentencing memorandum he filed in advance of the Nov. 14 plea hearing. Carr in the memo said Malone has two children and was working as a welder before he was arrested.
Once Malone finishes his prison sentence in the Glock switches case, Carr said in the memo, “he intends to continue to work as a welder.”
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com or 814-870-1813.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Guilty plea entered in Erie machine-gun case linked to big drug probe