An Overland Park man faces a potential 25-year sentence after pleading guilty in federal court to possessing a machine gun.
On Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Western Missouri in Kansas City, Verdell D. Mays, 30, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
On June 28, Mays was arrested and discovered to be in possession of a modified Glock pistol capable of fully automatic fire. The gun had a rear slide plate that was modified to produce automatic fire, according to a federal court press release.
Mays is banned from having guns due to prior felony convictions, including a federal case in which he admitted being an unlawful drug user with a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough is presiding over the case.
Mays was arrested in Belton, Missouri
At about 10 a.m. on June 28, Cass County, Missouri, Sheriff deputies began pursuing a vehicle on Interstate 49 in Belton, Missouri, that was confirmed to have a stolen license plate, according to a Facebook post.
Mays has a previous federal court conviction
Before the arrest, Mays was prohibited from possessing firearms because he has prior felony convictions, including a prior conviction in federal court for being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm.
In 2017, Mays was part of a group of people arrested at an apartment in Overland Park who were discovered to be in possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, according to federal court documents.
In 2021, Mays was sentenced in Kansas federal court 60 months in federal prison for unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm, a Class C Felony. Following his release, he also had to complete three years of supervised probation.
Mays will be sentenced in 2026
Under federal statutes, Mays is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole, according to the federal court press release.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 2, 2026, after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
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