District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Worcester man has been charged with possessing a machine gun after allegedly being found in possession of several Glock switches.

Jose Rivera, 24, was charged with unlawful possession of a machine gun. Rivera was arrested today and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy, was detained pending a hearing set for March 10, 2023.

Glock switches convert semi-automatic Glock pistols into fully automatic machine guns and are considered machine guns under federal law. According to the charging documents, during a search of Rivera's Worcester residence today, three Glock switches – including one attached to a Glock .40 caliber firearm – were recovered from Rivera's bedroom.

The charge of unlawful possession of a machine gun provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent; and John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.