22-year-old Michigan man convicted for possessing machine gun, officials say

(CBS DETROIT) - A 22-year-old Michigan man was convicted by a federal jury for the possession of a machine gun after he was arrested during a shooting investigation last year, officials said.

Valentino Wallace, of Lansing, was arrested in February 2023, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten.

Lansing police conducted surveillance at Wallace's home as part of an investigation. When he left the house, officers tried to initiate a traffic stop, but Wallace ran away.

Officers caught Wallace and arrested him. After they arrested him, officers discovered a loaded Glock pistol with an extended magazine with a switch in the snow.

Before arresting Wallace, he had posted photos of himself holding the same gun on social media, and made posts about Glock switches, according to the release.

Authorities say detectives testing revealed that "the extended magazine, which held 31 rounds, could be emptied in about a second and a half with a single pull of the trigger due to the installation of the switch on the gun."

Wallace is scheduled to be sentenced sometime in the upcoming months.

"The gun violence epidemic is devastating families in Michigan and across our nation," said Totten. "The increased prevalence of switches, or machinegun conversion devices, that can spray up to a thousand rounds per minute with a single pull of the trigger presents an added level of danger to our communities. Offenders who possess these devices face the very real possibility of federal prosecution."