Memphis Man Sentenced to Over Eight Years for Possession of a Machine Gun

Memphis, TN – A federal judge has sentenced Actavious Ellis, 31, of Memphis, to 87 months in federal prison for possession of a machine gun.  Reagan Taylor Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

According to the information presented in court, on August 17, 2023, detectives with the Memphis Police Department executed search warrants at two locations and discovered that Ellis was in possession of multiple stolen firearms, including a 9mm Glock pistol with a conversion device (“switch”) attached, making the firearm fully automatic.  He was also in possession of multiple large-capacity magazines and pill presses used to manufacture pills containing illegal substances.  Following Ellis’s arrest, he attempted to bribe a person to commit perjury by claiming ownership of the illegal substances found in the homes.

In November 2024, Ellis pled guilty to unlawful possession of a machine gun.  On March 11, 2025, United States District Judge Jon P. McCalla sentenced Ellis to 87 months of federal imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, 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.

This case was investigated by detectives with the Memphis Police Department Drug Response Team and the Project Safe Neighborhoods Gun Task Force.

Acting United States Attorney Fondren thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Musselwhite, who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.

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For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.