Atlanta man sentenced to 15 years for dealing fentanyl while armed with fully automatic machinegun (DOJ)

ATLANTA - Reginald Pierce, a twice-convicted felon, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on federal drug and weapons charges after possessing a fully automatic machine-gun while dealing fentanyl and other drugs.

"Pierce is a violent repeat offender who trafficked lethal fentanyl while armed with a machinegun," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Thanks to the efforts of federal and local law enforcement, he will serve a significant sentence equal to more than half his lifetime thus far, and our community is safer for it."

"Machine gun conversion devices transform firearms into exceptionally dangerous weapons that have no place in our communities," said Benjamin Gibbons, Special Agent in Charge of ATF's Atlanta Field Division. "Through NIBIN intelligence and strong investigative partnerships, we connected this firearm to a prior shooting and helped bring this repeat offender to justice."

"This outcome demonstrates the importance of strong partnerships and collaborations between local and federal agencies," said Fulton County Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat. "Apprehending dangerous criminals is a vital part of our mission at the Fulton County Sheriff's Office to keep the members of our community safe."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On May 30, 2023, a Fulton County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) investigator stopped a vehicle in which Pierce was a passenger. Pierce attempted to flee from the vehicle and tackled the FCSO investigator, but his efforts to evade arrest failed. From Pierce's pants pocket, FCSO investigators recovered an illegally converted, fully automatic pistol that law enforcement later linked to a drive-by shooting in East Point, Georgia a week earlier. Law enforcement also recovered 469 fentanyl pills, $10,020 in cash, and oxycodone and methamphetamine pills in and near the vehicle.

Pierce's criminal history includes convictions for armed robbery and a gang-related aggravated assault that involved the stabbing of five victims. As a twice-convicted felon, Pierce was prohibited from possessing any firearm, let alone a fully automatic machinegun.

On July 30, 2026, Reginald Pierce, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee to 15 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Pierce pled guilty on March 17, 2026, to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of unlawful possession of a machinegun, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Fulton County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Lauren E. Renaud prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods and Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.