Starr County men sentenced after selling Glock switches to undercover officer

RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Two Starr County men were sentenced Wednesday after selling Glock switches to undercover officers, documents show.

Jesse James Garcia and Jorge Gonzalez were sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of unlawful possession of a machinegun, federal records show.

A criminal complaint stated that on May 4, 2023, Garcia told an undercover officer that he had approximately 20 Glock conversion devices, commonly known as Glock switches. When the officer asked what the device did, Garcia informed him it made the pistol into a fully automatic machinegun.

On May 10, 2024, ATF conducted a "controlled purchase," buying three of the Glock switches from Garcia for $350 each, the complaint stated.

Following the purchase, ATG agents saw Garcia travel to a home on Bustos Street in Rio Grande City, which was identified as Gonzalez's residence.

Two days later, Garcia sold the undercover officer eight more Glock switches. At this point, Garcia was arrested, and ATF executed a search warrant on Gonzalez's home, where they located another switch on the dresser.

The two men went before Judge Ricardo Hinojosa on Wednesday for sentencing. Gonzalez was given credit for time served (370 days,) and Garcia was sentenced to a year and one day in federal prison, records show. The two are both ordered to serve two years of supervised release.