WELLSBORO - The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced the indictment of Jon Charles Berg, 25, of Wellsboro, for converting an AR-15 Bushmaster into an automatic weapon.
According to U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith, Berg is charged with three felony counts relating to violations of federal firearms' laws, including possessing an unlawful type of weapon and failing to comply with federal laws that require him to register it.
The indictment, returned by a grand jury July 28, alleges that on June 15, Berg possessed an AR-15 rifle as well as a quantity of .223 bullets. It was unlawful for him to do so because he has a prior felony conviction from Texas.
Additionally, two charges relate to the alleged modification of the AR-15 from a rifle to a machine gun.
If convicted of all three offenses, Berg faces up to 30 years' imprisonment and $260,000 in fines. He is in custody.
The investigation was conducted by the Wellsboro Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick E. Martin.
