A Columbus man will spend more than six years in prison after admitting to selling eight firearms, including some with auto-conversion devices, to an undercover agent.
Jamie Pannell, 43, will serve 78 months, or six and a half years, in federal prison, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson ordered Tuesday in federal court in Columbus. Pannell had pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms as a felon and possessing machine guns.
According to court records, Pannell sold eight firearms to an undercover agent between April and May 2023. Several of those firearms had auto-conversion devices, commonly called "switches," that turn a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic weapon.
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Pannell talked about the devices with the undercover agent, court records say, including about the differences between metal and plastic versions of the devices. Pannell also promised the agent he could deliver switches in future sales, court records say.
Pannell has previous felony convictions, the U.S. Attorney's office said, including convictions for crimes of violence.