Portsmouth man guilty of illegal possession of machine gun

Jane Alvarez-Wertz
·2 min read
17

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – More than a year after he was caught carrying an illegal weapon, a Portsmouth man pleaded guilty to the crime.

Brian Perry Jr. entered the plea on Dec. 7 on a charge of illegal possession of a machine gun. He faces a maximum ten years in prison when he is sentenced next May.

In June 2022, officers observed Perry sitting in a van, after they responded to a call about two men with firearms at a BP gas station on George Washington Highway. A man standing near the van fled on foot when officers arrived. During a pat down, officers found a Glock Model 33 firearm in Perry’s waistband. It had an auto sear attached to it, which applies force to the trigger bar to prevent it from limiting fire to one round of ammunition per pull. Putting one of these on a gun is illegal.

Previous coverage: Portsmouth Police recover guns, drugs as search for suspects continues

Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Montoya is prosecuting this case, which is part of Virginia’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). The program brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. Click here to read more about the program.

In addition to Perry’s arrest, Portsmouth Police said officers recovered additional firearms as well as methamphetamine, crack cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and cash during their investigation.

Police said a second suspect, 36-year-old Jamar Randall McClenny of Norfolk, was facing drug and gun charges in connection with this investigation. Portsmouth officials confirmed he was arrested on those charges on June 9, 2023, exactly one year after the crime.

WAVY is also working to find out the status of two other unnamed individuals wanted in this investigation.

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