Western District of Kentucky

Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an indictment today charging a local man with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and for illegally possessing a machine gun.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Maynard of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.

According to the indictment, on February 13, 2023, Charles Divine, 26, possessed two Glock 9-millimeter pistols after having previously been convicted of the following felony offense. On June 30, 2020, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Devine was convicted of wanton endangerment in the first degree.

The indictment also alleges that on February 13, 2023, Divine illegally possessed a machine gun, that is a Glock switch bearing no serial number. A Glock Switch device allows a semi-automatic handgun to function as an automatic and is defined as a machine gun under federal law.

Divine will make his initial court appearance before a United State Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on a later date. If convicted, Divine faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is being investigated by the ATF and the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Dahl is prosecuting this case.

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 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.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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