Alleged Gang Member Charged by Miami Federal Grand Jury With Possession of a Cache of Sophisticated Firearms, Including Two “Switch” Enabled Fully Automatic Machine Guns
Miami, Florida -- A prior convicted felon from Miami with alleged ties to the national “Bloods” gang and the local “77 Street” gang has been indicted by a South Florida grand jury on federal firearms charges, including illegal possession of machine guns.
According to the Indictment, an earlier-filed criminal complaint, and statements made in court, law enforcement officers approached 22-year-old Ty’ree Dixon on May 17, 2021, as part of an investigation into gang-related violent crime and fraud. When police confronted him, they discovered that Dixon was armed with a Glock 20 and a 10mm semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, it is alleged. They also located a large amount of ammunition and several firearms inside Dixon’s residence while executing a search warrant that same day, including three Glock semi-automatic pistols, a Century Arms International AK style pistol, and two pistols that had been converted into machine guns using “switch” devices, according to the allegations. When installed on a handgun, a “switch” (technically called an auto-sear) allows the handgun to expel more than one bullet by a single pull of the trigger, turning the weapon into a fully automatic machine gun, according to statements made in court.
Law enforcement officers arrested Dixon on May 17, and South Florida federal prosecutors charged him by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm. On May 21, following a hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan ordered that Dixon be held in a federal detention center without bond pending his trial (pre-trial detention). On June 1, a South Florida grand jury returned an indictment charging Dixon with two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, and two counts of illegally possessing a machine gun. Dixon faces up to 40 years in federal prison, if convicted. He is scheduled for arraignment in federal magistrate court in Miami on June 16.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Brian Swain, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Robert Cekada, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, announced the charges.
A multi-agency gang task force consisting of the Miami Divisions of USSS, FBI, and ATF, as well as the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) and City of Miami Police Department (MPD) investigated the matter.
AUSA Frederic “Fritz” Shadley is prosecuting this case.
This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Anyone with information related to possible gun crimes is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
Indictments and criminal complaints are mere allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 21-cr-20325.
