Jamal Joseph Mala Leonardo, 20, of Kissimmee has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for possession or transfer of a machine gun and dealing in firearms without a license. The court also ordered Mala Leonardo to forfeit several machine gun conversion devices involved in the offense.
Mala Leonardo entered a guilty plea in May. According to court documents, Mala Leonardo met with an undercover law enforcement officer on multiple occasions between January and February 2024 and sold the officer 17 machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) which can be used to convert a firearm into a fully automatic machine gun. Mala Leonardo also sold two AR pistols, including one which was privately manufactured.
Law enforcement later searched Mala Leonardo’s residence and recovered 25 additional MCDs from his bedroom. None of the MCDs were registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required under federal law, nor is Mala Leonardo a licensed firearms dealer.
Additionally, Jose Luis Lugo, 40, of Kissimmee has pleaded guilty to possessing firearms as a convicted felon and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison at his sentencing hearing scheduled for December 18, 2024.
According to court records, Lugo, a registered sex offender in Florida, was convicted of felony offenses in 2004, 2005, 2014, and 2022. On two occasions in July 2023, law enforcement officers observed Lugo possess and sell multiple firearms. As a previously convicted felon, Lugo is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing 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.
