Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway has sentenced Marc Anthony Hayes (48, Haines City) to three years in federal prison for possessing 3D printed auto sear devices. Hayes had pleaded guilty on November 3, 2021.
According to court documents, between January 12 and 30, 2021, Hayes engaged in the unlawful possession and sale of seven auto sear devices (a device used to convert a semi-automatic firearm to fully automatic firing mode). Hayes coordinated the sales through Facebook instant messages.
A firearms expert with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive’s (ATF) Firearms and Ammunition Technology Division (FATD) forensically analyzed the auto sears and found that the devices were 3D printed, meaning the devices had been manufactured using a 3D printing device. The ATF FATD expert also tested the functionality of the auto sears by installing each device into a semiautomatic AR-15 type rifle. When installed, the device caused the rifle to function as an automatic machinegun. Thus, the auto sears were found to be parts designed and intended solely and exclusively for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun.
On June 30, 2021, ATF special agents executed a search warrant at Hayes’s residence and seized two auto sears, a silencer, and a short-barreled rifle. The auto sears were test-fired and found to function as machineguns. ATF also examined the silencer and short-barreled rifle, which were found to meet the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFA) registration guidelines. Hayes was found to be in violation of NFA registration requirements.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.