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Waterloo Man Sentenced for Making Machineguns

Nicholas Laurence Wilson, 35, of Waterloo, Iowa, was sentenced to more than one year in federal prison for possession of machineguns.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 25, 2026, 6:31 p.m. ET
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This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

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A Waterloo, Iowa, man was on August 20, 2026, to twelve months and one day in federal prison for possession of machineguns, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa. The sentencing was announced on August 25, 2026. Nicholas Laurence Wilson, 35, pleaded guilty on January 30, 2026, to one count of possession of machineguns. Court records state that Wilson machined three semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating after several guns Wilson purchased were recovered in connection with investigations. During a search of Wilson's house on July 16, 2025, ATF agents found the three machineguns and a machinegun conversion device, a drop-in auto sear. Wilson lied to law enforcement about having any National Firearms Act firearms, which include machineguns. Chief Judge C.J. Williams of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa Wilson in Cedar Rapids. Wilson was also fined $5,000 and must serve three years of supervised release after his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Wilson was released on bond and is to surrender to the U.S. Marshal on September 21, 2026. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by a federal task force comprising the Waterloo Police Department, FBI, and ATF, with assistance from the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office and Cedar Falls Police Department. The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative.

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  1. Version 125 Aug 2026, 22:31current

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