COVINGTON, KY (Friday, April 18, 2025) – A Burlington, Ky., man, Juan Velazquez-Rodriguez, 48, was sentenced on Thursday to 85 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for illegal possession of a machine gun.
According to his plea agreement, in January 2024, a law enforcement source reported that Rodriguez offered to sell the source, who was a convicted felon, a machinegun conversion device (MCD). Law enforcement searched Rodriguez’ residence and found a MCD in his dresser. The MCD was not marked with a serial number, and Rodriguez admitted he knew it was designed to convert a firearm into a machinegun.
A search of Rodriguez’ social media and cell phone revealed messages between Rodriguez and another individual about 3D printing firearm parts. Rodriguez later messaged this same associate from jail, and instructed him to remove everything that had to do with the 3D printer from the associate’s apartment. Rodriguez also offered to sell MCDs to multiple other individuals, explaining that the “switch,” or MCD, would convert a Glock handgun or AR-15 rifle to fully automatic.
Under federal law, Rodriguez must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Sheriff Les Hill, Boone County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by HSI and Boone County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel King is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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