Edmond Man Sentenced to Serve 18 Months in Federal Prison after Machinegun Conversion Devices are Intercepted from Packages Destined for Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY – EMANUEL LOPEZ, 21, of Edmond, has been sentenced to serve 18 months in federal prison for transporting machineguns without a license, announced Robert J. Troester, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

According to public record, in May and June 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in Los Angeles, California, intercepted four packages shipped from China. These packages were destined for Lopez at his home in Edmond and contained machinegun conversion devices (MCDs), commonly known as “switches.”  The packages were mislabeled as “auto parts,” “hardware accessories,” and “decorative ornaments” on the shipping manifest. When installed, MCDs convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machineguns, and transporting and possessing these devices violates federal law. Lopez was charged by a federal Grand Jury with transporting machineguns without a license on July 2, 2024.

On November 25, 2024, Lopez pleaded guilty, and admitted he knowingly transported machineguns and that he was not licensed to do so.

At the sentencing hearing on March 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge Bernard M. Jones sentenced Lopez to serve 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Jones noted the seriousness of the offense.

This case is a result of an investigation by CBP, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Oklahoma City Police Department, and the Edmond Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew E. Davis prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. This case is also part of “Project Switch Off,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s local implementation of PSN. “Project Switch Off” targets illegal machinegun conversion devices to address the significant danger these illegal devices present and to remove them from our streets. For more information about PSN and “Project Switch Off,” please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.