A man from Stoddard County last week admitted in federal court to being involved in a conspiracy to sell devices that convert AR-15-style rifles into fully-automatic weapons.
41 year old Edward Hardin pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. to a charge of conspiracy to distribute machine guns. Sidney Brianne Scowden, also of Stoddard County, pleaded guilty in February to the conspiracy charge and three counts of transferring a machine gun.
Both admitted that Scowden sent a Snapchat message to a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Aug. 3, 2022 offering to a sell a “lightning link,” or device that converts a semi-automatic AR-style weapon into a fully-automatic weapon. Scowden said she was selling the link on behalf of someone else.
Scowden is scheduled to be sentenced May 9. Hardin is set to be sentenced July 13.