A Raleigh man has admitted to possessing machine gun conversion devices in a parking lot adjacent to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds and the Lenovo Center, locations that were crowded at the time due to ongoing public events. Luis Alberto Guerra-Martinez was charged on October 27, 2025, by a United States Magistrate Judge for possession of a machine gun. The Eastern District of North Carolina’s Grand Jury indicted him on November 18, 2025.
“Observant local officers acted quickly, discovering multiple weapons, including a machine gun in this subject’s car parked outside a concert of 15,000 people. This is an outstanding example of the FBI Raleigh Durham Safe Streets Task Force, the Raleigh Police Department, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dunn Police Department uniting for one purpose, to keep our communities safe. The FBI is committed to working with our state and local partners to bring the full weight of federal charges against anyone who may pose a threat to the homeland,” said Reid Davis, FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.
Court records show that on October 24, 2025, law enforcement stopped Guerra-Martinez after he drove erratically in a busy parking area between the N.C. State Fair and Lenovo Center. Both venues were hosting large events: tens of thousands attended the fair while a popular youth rapper held a concert at Lenovo Center with about 15,000 attendees.
When approached by officers who detected marijuana odor from his vehicle, Guerra-Martinez attempted to flee but was apprehended. A subsequent search revealed five firearms—including two drop-in sears capable of converting semi-automatic guns into fully automatic weapons—along with marijuana products totaling 35 grams, THC vape cartridges, a digital scale, ski mask, Lenovo center radio equipment, three Santa Muerte candles, machete and hunting knife as well as two cell phones. Authorities noted that Guerra-Martinez had recently lost his job as a janitor at Lenovo through an outside contractor.
He now faces up to ten years in prison upon sentencing.
