Richmond man pleads guilty after being caught with a machine gun

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing a machine gun.

According to court documents, on March 25, 2023, Sterling Alexander Davis, 21, failed to stop at the intersection of Orcutt Lane and Kimrod Road and Richmond police performed a traffic stop. Davis told officers there were no firearms in the vehicle, but officers recognized the two passengers in the back seat and knew that they had possessed firearms in previous encounters. The officers checked both backseat passengers and found firearms in their pants.

The officers then performed a sweep of the vehicle for additional weapons and located a Glock 45 9mm handgun under the driver seat. The handgun was equipped with a laser guide and an extended magazine. The Glock also had a machinegun conversion device, or “Glock switch,” which rendered it capable of fully automatic fire, meeting the legal definition of a machine gun.

Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30 and faces up to 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police; and Colette Wallace McEachin, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-32.