Kissimmee man sentenced to 30 months for illegal firearms dealing

ORLANDO, Florida — Jamal Joseph Mala Leonardo, a 20-year-old from Kissimmee, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for possession or transfer of a machinegun and dealing in firearms without a license. The court also mandated the forfeiture of several machinegun conversion devices involved in the offense.

Mala Leonardo entered a guilty plea on May 20, 2024. According to court documents, he met with an undercover law enforcement officer on multiple occasions between January and February 2024. During these meetings, Mala Leonardo sold the officer 17 machinegun conversion devices, which can convert a firearm into a fully automatic machinegun, and two AR pistols, including one privately manufactured, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

A search of Mala Leonardo’s residence by law enforcement officers uncovered 25 additional machinegun conversion devices in his bedroom. None of these devices were registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law, and Mala Leonardo was not a licensed firearms dealer, the release stated.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Richard Varadan and Kara Wick. It is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.