Mobile Man Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Machinegun

MOBILE, AL - A Mobile man was sentenced to 37 months in prison for illegally possessing a machinegun.

According to court documents, Naquarius Isaiah Braxton, 23, was arrested in March 2023 after he led Mobile police on a high-speed car chase. Braxton refused to stop for police after running a stop sign and failing to signal a turn. During the chase, Braxton exceeded 80 miles per hour through a residential neighborhood, lost control of his car, and struck a brick mailbox. Braxton then bailed out of the car and fled on foot with a Glock pistol in his right hand. Officers caught Braxton in the backyard of a house and took him into custody. Officers found Braxton's .40 caliber Glock pistol lying in the grass nearby. The pistol was illegally modified with a machinegun-conversion device, commonly referred to as a "Glock switch," which rendered the pistol a fully automatic weapon.

After arresting Braxton, officers searched the car that he had abandoned. On the driver's seat where Braxton had been sitting, officers found a 60-round drum magazine containing 38 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition and a full-faced ski mask. On the front floorboard, officers found two plastic baggies containing marijuana. Federal agents executed search warrants for Braxton's Instagram accounts, which contained evidence of his possession of illegally modified weapons. Specifically, Braxton's accounts contained numerous pictures and videos of Braxton holding Glock pistols equipped with machinegun-conversion devices and drum magazines, including the pistol that officers seized from him on March 4, 2023.

In addition to the 37-month prison sentence, Senior United States District Judge William H. Steele ordered Braxton to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Steele ordered Braxton to pay $100 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.