Man Admits Having Unregistered Machine Guns In Somers Point Home

SOMERS POINT, NJ — A Somers Point man admitted in federal court to possessing unregistered machine guns and "dozens" of other weapons, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said Tuesday.

Michael John James, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Keil to an information charging him with possessing unregistered machineguns and other firearms, as defined under the National Firearms Act.

Two packages addressed to James' Colwick Drive residence were intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in February 2024 under suspicion of them containing controlled substances, officials said.

On Feb. 27, 2024, investigators conducted a controlled delivery of the packages, watched James bring the packages into his residence, and executed a search warrant at the residence, where they recovered "dozens of firearms and ballistics items," officials said.

Among the items seized were three operable machine guns, an operable weapon modified to be shorter than a standard rifle, an operable weapon modified to be shorter than a standard shotgun and three silencers, according to authorities.

James has been in the Atlantic County Justice Facility since March 8, according to a past release from the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.

The prosecutor's office previously said that on Feb. 27, James had in his possession "distribution-level quantities of prescription drugs," including alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium).

Atlantic County authorities also seized ammunition, explosives and more. The prosecutor's office charged James with several drugs and weapons offenses.

James is set to be sentenced on Dec. 30, 2024, where he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.