Man with Two Machine Gun Conversion Devices by NC State Fair and Lenovo Center Pleaded Guilty
RALEIGH, N.C. / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 – A Raleigh man pleaded guilty to possessing machine gun conversion devices in the parking lot next to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds and the Lenovo Center where NC State and the Hurricanes play in Raleigh, North Carolina. A United States Magistrate Judge signed a complaint on October 27, 2025, charging Luis Alberto Guerra-Martinez with possession of a machine gun. A Grand Jury for the Eastern District of North Carolina returned an indictment on November 18, 2025.
“Bad hombres bringing illegal guns to crowded parking lots are up to no good. Thanks to the alert officer who sniffed out this nefarious plot before any blood was spilled. Stay alert, stay alive.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
"Observant local officers acted quickly, discovering multiple weapons, including a machine gun in this subject's car parked outside a concert of 15,000 people. This is an outstanding example of the FBI Raleigh Durham Safe Streets Task Force, the Raleigh Police Department, the Wake County Sheriff's Office, and the Dunn Police Department uniting for one purpose, to keep our communities safe. The FBI is committed to working with our state and local partners to bring the full weight of federal charges against anyone who may pose a threat to the homeland," said Reid Davis, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on October 24, 2025, law enforcement stopped Guerra-Martinez as he drove erratically in the parking lot between the N.C. State Fair and the Lenovo Center. The N.C. State Fair was in full swing with tens of thousands of members of the public at the time. Also, popular youth rapper performed was a concert at the Lenovo Center at the same time. As Guerra-Martinez exited his vehicle, law enforcement detected the odor of marijuana coming from his car. Guerra-Martinez attempted to run away from the car as officers approached. They searched the car. The search yielded five guns, two drop in sears. A drop in sear converts a semi-automatic gun into a fully automatic machine gun. The search also yielded 35 grams of marijuana, THC vape cartridges, a digital scale, a ski mask, a Lenovo center radio, three Santa Muerte candles, one machete and one hunting knife, and two cell phones. Guerra-Martinez had recently been fired from Lenovo where he had worked as a janitor for a third-party contractor.
At sentencing, Guerra-Martinez faces up to 10 years in prison.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement today. The FBI Raleigh Safe Streets Taskforce, WCSO, RPD and DPD investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aria Merle and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Van Trigt are prosecuting the case.
Source:
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina
USANCE.PublicInfoOfficer@usdoj.gov
