CASPER – A Rock Springs man was found guilty and sentenced for unlawful possession of a machine gun in federal court Nov. 20.
Preston Lewis, 21, of Rock Springs was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment with three years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl.
Lewis was originally charged with nine counts of felony theft by the Sweetwater County Attorney’s Office before those charges were dismissed and Lewis was charged in federal court. According to court documents, the Rock Springs Police Department was called to investigate Lewis’ purchases at A-Z Pawn Shop and Trailhead Guns that were sent to him from an online retailer and amounting to approximately $18,000. While being questioned by the RSPD, Lewis admitted to making straw purchases for another person, 24-year-old Hayden Espinosa, a Texas man who is alleged to have run a gun ring and made illegal gun sales to an undercover New York Police Department officer while he was incarcerated in federal prison.
He also admitted to installing a Glock “switch,” a device that modifies a semiautomatic pistol to a fully automatic handgun on a handgun as well as possessing other switches. Lewis also admitted to modifying an AR-style semiautomatic rifle into a fully automatic machine gun.
Lewis waived indictment and pleaded guilty on July 18. The RSPD was joined by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in investigating the crime.
