U.S Attorney Mark Totten announced today that a jury has convicted 22-year-old Earl Austin IV of Benton Harbor with counts conspiracy to distribute and distribution methamphetamine, as well as possession and transfer of a converted machinegun.
According to a news release, On December 15, 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan announced charges against 11 defendants, including Austin. The charges covered a range of federal crimes, including the sale of “switches,” small devices that turn semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic machine guns. The U.S. Attorney’s Office later charged six additional defendants as part of the same investigation. All have now been convicted.
The Court has scheduled sentencing for Armando Villanueva on March 7th, 2024; Rhonda Acklin on April 25th, 2024; and Evorion Anderson on May 30th, 2024.
The Court has not yet announced a sentencing date for Austin.