Lansing man convicted of modifying pistol with illegal 'Glock switch'

GRAND RAPIDS – A Lansing man was convicted this week on charges that he had an illegal "machine gun," the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Valentino Wallace, 22, of Lansing, was charged in federal court with possessing the automatic firearm. Online court records indicate the trial began in late July and concluded this week. Records do not indicate when Wallace will be sentenced, but show Wallace has been held in detention since July 2023.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in a federal complaint that Wallace illegally modified a 9 mm Glock handgun with a "switch" that converted it to fire continuously. The complaint said that such a modified pistol could fire up to 1,000 rounds per minute.

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“The gun violence epidemic is devastating families in Michigan and across our nation,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten in a press release. “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.”

In February 2023, Lansing Police Department officers were conducting surveillance at Wallace’s house as part of a shooting investigation, the release noted. Wallace left the house and officers attempted a traffic stop, but Wallace ran from the car, they said.

When officers caught and arrested him, they found a loaded Glock-19 pistol with an extended magazine and a switch attached in the snow nearby.

In the weeks preceding the incident, the release said, Wallace posted photos on social media showing himself holding the same gun and made other posts referring to Glock switches. Testing showed 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.

“I would like to thank U.S. Attorney Mark Totten and his team for standing firm on gun crime by charging Valentino Wallace,” Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus said. “This case is one of many that demonstrates our dedication to ensuring criminals are held accountable.”

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing man convicted of modifying pistol with illegal 'Glock switch'