Newark man admits possession of machine gun

NEWARK, NJ — An Essex County man with a prior felony conviction admitted illegally possessing a machine gun, acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced May 17.

Anthony Reynolds, 26, of Newark, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to one count of possession of a machine gun, one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a machine gun not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, on May 2, 2020, at approximately 8:40 p.m., Newark police officers were conducting surveillance in marked patrol cars in the area of Summer Avenue and May Street in Newark, with the specific purpose of minimizing social gathering of citizens in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

As they traveled north on Summer Avenue, one of the officers observed several individuals congregating on the sidewalk within close proximity to each other. The officers stopped their patrol cars and exited their vehicles. One of the officers observed Reynolds remove a black handgun from the front of his waistband and place it underneath a parked vehicle. The officer then advised one of the other officers of his observations, at which point the other officer looked underneath the vehicle and observed a .40-caliber Glock 23 semiautomatic handgun, which was loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition.

Law enforcement determined that the firearm was fitted with a Glock conversion device, commonly referred to as “Glock Switch,” which has the effect of converting a semiautomatic Glock pistol into a machine gun.

A search incident to arrest revealed that Reynolds was also in possession of a small clear sandwich bag containing suspected marijuana and $655 in cash.

For each of the three counts, Reynolds faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 22.

  Firearms, Newark Police Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office