Date: 09-27-2024

Case Style:

United States of America v. Latravion Knighten aka pg_tray

Case Number: 2L23-Cr-58

Judge: Sim Lake

Court: The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Harris County0

Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Houston

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description:

Houston, Texas criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with illegal possession of a machine gun
Houston “Problem Gang” member heads to prison for possessing machine gun

Latravion Knighten aka pg_tray pleaded guilty on April 29.

On May 10, 2023, law enforcement conducted surveillance on Knighten, a documented Problem Gang member, who was staying at an AirBNB location and had a warrant for his arrest. They witnessed flashes from a green light, akin to the type used as laser sights on firearms, on the wall within the back porch of the residence.

The next day, law enforcement saw Knighten leave the location and enter a silver Pontiac Grand Prix with a handgun in the waistband of his pants. As authorities began surveilling the vehicle, the Pontiac proceeded to make what appeared to be “heat runs,” signaling to law enforcement that the occupants of the vehicle noticed their mobile surveillance.

Authorities observed Knighten exit the vehicle and run to the side of the street where they saw him concealing something in an overgrown area around a tree. Knighten suddenly turned and ran into the path of the oncoming surveillance vehicle. The vehicle struck him, causing his feet to go over his head. Despite being hit, Knighten immediately stood up and approached authorities, proclaiming his innocence.

After placing him under arrest, law enforcement returned to the tree and found a .40 caliber Glock model 23 with a machine gun conversion device with attached green laser sight. Authorities also seized an extended magazine capable of accepting 17 rounds of ammunition.

They test fired the firearm and confirmed it met the definition of a machine gun.

Knighten has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Houston Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Hanes and Kelly Zenon-Matos prosecuted the case.

This case was investigated as part of the Houston Law Enforcement Violent Crime Initiative, which combines personnel and resources from numerous federal, state and local agencies to include the Harris County District Attorney’s Office referring violent offenders released on state bonds to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for possible federal prosecution. The goal is to reduce violent crime across the Greater Houston area by targeting the region’s most violent offenders, augmenting investigative and prosecutorial efforts and enhancing training, public awareness and education. It stems from the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Under the PSN umbrella, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN partners focus enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and work with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Outcome:

Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 33 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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