A 20-year-old Kissimmee man who sold over a dozen machine gun conversion devices to an undercover police officer has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison.
On Tuesday, October 8, U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton sentenced Jamal Joseph Mala Leonardo to 30 months behind bars for possession or transfer of a machine gun and dealing in firearms without a license.
The judge also ordered Mala Leonardo to forfeit several machine gun conversion devices that were involved in the offense.
Mala Leonardo had pleaded guilty to the charges on May 20.
According to court records, Mala Leonardo had multiple meetings with an undercover law enforcement officer between January and February of 2024.
During those meetings, Mala Leonardo sold a total of 17 machine gun conversion devices to the undercover officer, which can be used “to convert a firearm into a fully automatic machine gun.”
Mala Leonardo also sold two AR pistols to the undercover officer, including one that was “privately manufactured.”
During a search of Mala Leonardo’s residence, law enforcement officers located an additional 25 machine gun conversion devices in his bedroom. None of the devices were registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required under federal law.
Investigators also learned that Mala Leonardo is not a licensed firearms dealer.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Varadan and Kara Wick.
In addition, this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.