A known gang member pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally possessing a Glock pistol equipped with a “Glock switch” (a machine gun), announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.

Tavares Trevon Nelson, 20, of Birmingham, pleaded guilty to possession of a machine gun and receipt or possession of an unregistered firearm before U.S. District Judge Annmarie C. Axon.

According to the plea agreement, on November 1, 2022, the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force (GCRFTF) arrested Nelson on an outstanding felony warrant from Jefferson County for Theft of Property, First Degree and Receiving Stolen Property, Second Degree.

Nelson had been identified by law enforcement as a core member of a local, violent street gang known as Hard 2 Kill, also known as “H2K.” Birmingham Police Department officers executed a search warrant on Nelson’s apartment. Officers recovered a Glock .45 caliber pistol equipped with a “Glock switch” – a conversion device designed to illegally convert a semiautomatic Glock pistol into a fully automatic machine gun.

The ATF investigated the case, along with the USMS Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Birmingham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristy Peoples is prosecuting the case.