Evansville man sentenced to federal prison for 3D printing ghost gun, “glock switches”

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – An Evansville man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm and a machine gun as a convicted felon.

That man is 39-year-old Marquel Payne.

As we reported, Payne was arrested following an investigation by the Crime Gun Intelligence Center.

(Previous story: Officials provide an update on the Evansville ‘ghost gun’ investigation)

According to court documents, Evansville police officers conducted surveillance on a home on Cedar Street in January.

Officers say they obtained a search warrant after seeing Payne carrying a 3D printer to a vehicle outside.

They then found 60 plastic machine gun conversion devices, a personally crafted 9mm pistol, also known as a “ghost gun” due to its lack of any traceable serial numbering, an AR-15 rifle, a 3D printer, plastic printing filament, a 3D printed firearm silencer and 9mm caliber ammunition.

Officials say Payne had previously been convicted of numerous crimes at the time of his arrest, including escape, carrying a pistol without a permit and criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon. These prior convictions prohibit Payne from ever legally owning a gun.

He will now serve seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Copyright 2024 WFIE. All rights reserved.