Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

HAMMOND, Ind. — Larry D. Carter III, 30, of Gary, was sentenced by U.S District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to possessing an unregistered machinegun, announced U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Carter was sentenced to 51 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, on Oct. 18, 2022, law enforcement responded to a call of a domestic battery and determined Carter had an outstanding arrest warrant. From Carter’s possession, law enforcement recovered a loaded semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine and a machinegun conversion device attached to it.  The machinegun conversion device made the pistol capable of firing multiple shots with a single pull of the trigger. The machinegun was not registered to him in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer record, making his possession of the firearm illegal. Additionally, Carter’s criminal history revealed he had three felony convictions, including a 2018 conviction for trafficking in stolen weapons, and as such, he was prohibited from possessing the firearm.

This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force and the Gary Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eamonn P. Sheehan.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

###