Western District of Kentucky

Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville returned a two-count indictment on March 22, 2023, charging a Louisville man with possession of and trafficking in machine guns.

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 Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of the Homeland Security Investigations Nashville made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Colin H. Billups, 20, of Louisville, Kentucky, was charged with one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, a Glock switch, and one count of trafficking in a firearm, a Glock switch. A Glock Switch device allows a semi-automatic handgun to function as an automatic and is defined as a machine gun under federal law.

The defendant made his initial court appearance on March 31, 2023, before a U. S. Magistrate Judge of the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in Louisville. If convicted, Billups faces a maximum sentence of 25 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 ATF and HSI with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department, the Shively Police Department, and the Kentucky State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Dahl is prosecuting the 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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