A Northern Kentucky man, who prosecutors say was a major supplier locally of devices that transform semi-automatic handguns into fully automatic ones, will spend more than a decade in federal prison.
Demarco Sturgeon, 23, was sentenced on Tuesday in federal court in Covington to nearly 11 years in prison for his role in distributing dozens of such devices.
Court records show Sturgeon pleaded guilty in November to transferring or possessing a machine gun, conspiracy to traffic in firearms and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Sturgeon worked with two other men, Isaiah Smith and Denico Hudson, to transfer machine gun conversion devices, also known as Glock switches or auto sears, between themselves and others, according to his plea agreement.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives started looking into Sturgeon in 2022 as part of an investigation into people selling Glock switches and firearms to those involved in drug trafficking and other crimes.
Sources cooperating with the investigation identified Sturgeon as “the primary source of supply of firearms and Glock switches to gangs operating in Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio,” prosecutors wrote in court filings.
He used social media to advertise, sell and buy Glock switches as well as instruct others on how to install the devices, prosecutors said.
Sturgeon bought the plastic Glock switches from Smith, the primary supplier of the devices, who told agents during a search of his home that he manufactured over 80 Glock switches using a 3D printer, prosecutors said.
Smith said in court that it cost him between $100 and $400 to make the devices, which he would sell for anywhere between $500 to $800. He pleaded guilty in December to possession and transfer of a machine gun and is slated to be sentenced in May.
Hudson also pleaded guilty to charges in federal court and is expected to be sentenced in June. Prosecutors say he served as a middleman for Sturgeon, selling the devices to people in Cincinnati.
Glock switches are small devices affixed to the back of a Glock handgun. Instead of firing one round per trigger pull, the device allows the gun to continue firing at a high rate as long as the trigger is pressed.
Federal and local law enforcement have warned of the growing prevalence of Glock switches in Greater Cincinnati, saying the devices have been linked to numerous shootings and pose a danger to innocent bystanders as they make handguns harder to aim.
“These are things that in the wrong hands can have deadly consequences,” U.S. District Judge David Bunning said before handing down Sturgeon's sentence on Tuesday.
Sturgeon declined to make a statement during his sentencing hearing. After his release from prison, he will be under court supervision for five years.
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