Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
SOUTH BEND – Makai Boyce, 19 years old, of Mishawaka, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to possessing a machinegun, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Boyce was sentenced to 75 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in December 2023, Boyce possessed a stolen handgun with an extended magazine and a machinegun conversion device, or “switch,” capable of firing multiple bullets automatically. Boyce fired the machinegun and struck an occupied residence. Two days later, he led police on a lengthy foot chase during which he discarded the machinegun in a backyard doghouse surrounded by children’s toys.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the South Bend Police Department, and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph P. Falvey and Katelan McKenzie Doyle.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.