Manchester Resident Charged with Smuggling Machine Gun Conversion Devices from China

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that DAVID WILLIAMS, JR., also known as "Lavish David," 23, of Manchester, has been charged by indictment with offenses related to the importation and trafficking of machine gun conversion devices.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on June 16, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") officers at Chicago O'Hare International Airport examined a package en route from China to "Lavish David" at an address in Bloomfield, Connecticut, that contained a machine gun conversion device concealed within portable camping stove components. Commonly referred to as a "Glock switch," a conversion device allows certain firearms to fire fully automatically. On July 10, 2024, CBP officers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport examined a package en route from China to "Lavish David" at the same Bloomfield address that contained multiple machine gun conversion device components concealed within portable camping stove components. On July 21, 2026, HSI conducted a controlled delivery of the two packages to the Bloomfield address and confirmed that Williams had ordered the items for delivery to the residence.

It is further alleged that a court-authorized search of Williams' Apple account revealed photos, videos, and messages involving the possession of firearms and trafficking of machine gun conversion devices.

Williams was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on October 2, 2026. On October 14, 2026, a grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging Williams with firearms trafficking conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; unlawful possession of a machinegun, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; possession of an unregistered machinegun, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; and smuggling goods into the United States, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Williams appeared today in Hartford federal court and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is released on a $100,000 bond pending trial.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with the assistance of the Manchester Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.