An 18-year-old man from Chicago is confronted with federal charges for selling two machine gun conversion devices to an undercover agent who saw them in an Instagram post, according to a criminal complaint. The devices, also known as ‘Glock Switches’, are an illegal adjustment that can convert some pistols into fully automatic machine guns.
The complaint claims that Dakotah Malatore was aware of the possibilities of the devices, because he told the agent that they would let a gun “brrr” go, imitating the sound of a machine gun.
On April 22, the undercover agent checked the now deactivated Instagram account “mr.tiponurtongue” when a video was posted with two firearms on a bed, an equipped with a Glock switch, the complaint said.
The agent said, “Noed”, so that the account answered: “You Tryna Cop?” The agent replied: “Yahh. Are you going to connect me?” In the following messages, the agent used encrypted terms such as “buttons” and “switch” to discuss the purchase of the devices.
On April 30 at about 2.30 pm the undercover agent and a second agent went to a 7-Eleven parking lot on 3600 West Belmont to meet someone called “Rico” to complete the transaction.
Shortly after their arrival, Malatore approached the officers’ car and stood in the back seat and identified himself as Dakotah, not as’ Rico ‘.
Malatore is said to have offered to sell two switches for $ 400, one by one by a glock gun and another for an AR-Style gun, which says: “It makes the AR Go Brrrr,” the complaint said.
After the transaction, the agents were looking for a Chicago police database for people named “Dakotah” and they identified Malatore via a mugshot. They further confirmed his identity with the help of his driver’s license photo, according to the complaint.
He is accused of knowingly possessing and transferring machine guns.
