A Cincinnati man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for possession of a machinegun, following a traffic stop in Covington, Kentucky. Deshawn Parker, 30, received the sentence from Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning on Thursday.
Court records show that on September 21, 2024, police stopped Parker’s vehicle after detecting the smell of marijuana. When officers attempted to investigate further and asked Parker to exit his car, he refused and tried to flee. Police were able to remove him from the vehicle and found a small amount of marijuana as well as spent shell casings inside. A loaded pistol was discovered under the driver’s seat; it was equipped with a machinegun conversion device commonly known as a “switch” or “Glock switch.”
Federal law requires Parker to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for release. After serving his prison term, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge at ATF Louisville Field Division; and Chief Brian Valenti of the Covington Police Department jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by agents from ATF and officers from the Covington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke prosecuted the case.
According to officials, this prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative designed to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and community organizations. The program emphasizes building trust within communities, supporting violence prevention groups, focusing enforcement efforts strategically, and tracking outcomes since its enhanced strategy began in May 2021.
