Evergreen Reporter

U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza has sentenced Marcelo Manuel Maysonet, a 23-year-old from Orlando, to 30 months in federal prison for possessing unregistered National Firearms Act (NFA) weapons. These included a machinegun and 15 machinegun conversion devices. The court also ordered the forfeiture of a Delton INC, DTI-15, 5.56 caliber AR-style pistol with an installed machinegun conversion device and the additional 15 conversion devices linked to the offense's proceeds. Maysonet pleaded guilty on July 25, 2024.

Court documents reveal that officers from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Maysonet’s residence. They found the machinegun conversion devices and a 5.56 caliber AR-style pistol with such a device installed. A machinegun conversion device illegally converts a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic one and is classified as a machinegun under the NFA. None of these items were registered to Maysonet in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alongside the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson prosecuted the case.

This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence by uniting various levels of law enforcement with communities. The program's strategy emphasizes fostering trust within communities, supporting organizations that prevent violence, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.