Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Leads to Federal Conviction for Illegal Possession of a Machinegun

Tallahassee, Florida - Omarion Laparis Rashad, 21, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal possession of machinegun. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "The Homeland Security Task Force is investing in the safety of our neighborhoods with its whole-of-government approach to rooting out the criminal influence of cartels, trafficking organizations, and foreign gangs in our streets, and with this successful prosecution we are seeing those results. I applaud the excellent investigative work by the Tallahassee Police Department, in close collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners, and I look forward to many more successful prosecutions as we continue the fight to make our communities safe for the citizens of the Northern District of Florida."

Court documents reflect the Tallahassee Police Department executed a search warrant at the defendant's residence on November 25, 2025. Officers found marijuana, synthetic cathinone, and ammunition, along with a Glock .40 caliber pistol that had been converted to fire as a machinegun. A second machinegun conversion device was found in a commercial marijuana bag.

The defendant faces up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.

The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 1, 2026, at 2:00 pm, in the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Mark E. Walker.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.