Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Leads to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Machinegun

Tallahassee, Florida - Omarion Laparis Rashad, 21, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to federal prison for illegal possession of machinegun. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "This successful prosecution is another win for the safety of our communities. The Homeland Security Task Force continues to deliver on the promise that, by unifying our federal law enforcement agencies toward a common goal of eliminating the influence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations in our communities, we will achieve the safe, crime-free streets that our citizens deserve."

Court documents reflect the Tallahassee Police Department executed a search warrant at the defendant's residence on November 25, 2025. Officers found marijuana, synthetic cathinone, and ammunition, along with a Glock .40 caliber pistol that had been converted to fire as a machinegun. A second machinegun conversion device was found in a commercial marijuana bag. The defendant gave a voluntary statement acknowledging his possession of the pistol with the "switch" and acknowledged knowing the switch made it a machine gun.

The defendant was a first-time offender and received 6 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

"This case reflects the importance of coordinated law enforcement efforts to address the illegal possession of machineguns and conversion devices," said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa acting Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. "The Homeland Security Task Force aligns federal, state, and local partners toward a common goal of protecting our communities and holding offenders accountable. We remain committed to working together to promote public safety throughout North Florida."

The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.