Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a machine gun, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, on October 17, 2023, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department responded to a report of two men with guns near the intersection of 17^th Avenue south and Cedar Avenue. When officers responded, they attempted to stop one of the men, later identified as Brandon Lee Tahahwah, 21, as he fled on foot. Officers observed a black handgun in Tahahwah’s possession and, after he was arrested, officers found that the gun was equipped with an attached machine gun conversion device, commonly known as a “switch” or “auto sear,” which is designed to convert a semiautomatic weapon to shoot automatically.

Tahahwah pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan to one count of possession of a machine gun. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp is prosecuting the case.