PLANT CITY, Fla. — A Plant City man has been sentenced to federal prison for possessing a machine gun, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Prosecutors said Alex Cruz, 24, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell.
Cruz pleaded guilty on March 3.
According to court documents, Cruz was one of four people stopped in a vehicle by Hendry County deputies in February 2025.
Prosecutors said deputies found a 10mm Glock handgun with a machine gun conversion device in the seatback pocket immediately in front of Cruz.
The firearm had Cruz’s DNA on it, and prosecutors said Cruz later made statements indicating he knew the firearm was a machine gun.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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