ORANGE PARK, FLORIDA: Two individuals, Kristopher Justinboyer Ervin and Matthew Raymond Hoover, have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a conspiracy related to unregistered machine gun conversion devices.
Both Ervin and Hoover were found guilty by a federal jury on April 21, 2023.
Florida man and YouTuber sentenced for elaborate crime
As per Tampa Free Press, Ervin, aged 43 and from Orange Park, Florida, received a sentence of five years and eight months, while Hoover, aged 39 and from Wisconsin, received a five-year federal prison sentence.
Ervin was also sentenced for structuring cash withdrawals from his bank account, which were proceeds from the sale of these devices.
Additionally, the court ordered Ervin to forfeit $68,000, representing the funds involved in the structuring offense.
How did the ‘auto key card’ machine gun conversion case develop?
The case originated when Ervin's bank alerted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) that they suspected he was involved in trafficking machine gun conversion devices.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Ervin operated an online business selling machine gun conversion devices, referred to as "lightning links," etched into metal cards, which he called auto key cards.
Ervin misleadingly described these as a "pen holder," a "novelty," and a "political sculpture."
In February 2021, federal agents surveilled Ervin as he dropped off numerous packages at a post office in Orange Park.
It was determined that these packages contained unregistered machine gun conversion devices. A lightning link can be inserted into a legal AR-15-type firearm, converting it into a fully automatic machine gun.
What did Ervin and Hoover do?
Matthew Raymond Hoover ran a YouTube channel called CRS Firearms, where he promoted auto key cards.
Hoover's videos suggested that viewers could easily extract a lightning link from the auto key card and convert their firearms, asserting that "no one's the wiser."
These videos led to a significant increase in Ervin's sales.
Ervin sold over 2,000 auto key cards in just a few months, with purchasers intending to use them to convert their AR-15-type firearms into machine guns.
Ervin compensated Hoover for his advertisements by sending cash through the mail and, on one occasion, a Louis Vuitton purse.
ATF examined the auto key cards, and it was found that a firearms enforcement officer could remove the lightning link pieces from them using a common Dremel rotary tool in approximately 40 minutes.
When these pieces were placed into an AR-15-type firearm, it effectively turned the semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic machine gun.
Who investigated the case?
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the US Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Cofer Taylor and David B Mesrobian, with asset forfeiture handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.
In March 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant at Ervin's residence, where they recovered auto key cards containing etchings for more than 1,500 lightning links.
The evidence revealed that the conspiracy involved at least 6,600 individual lightning links.
