RAVENNA, Mich. — Ten years after being charged with a felony for assault with intent to rob and steal, a Ravenna man has been sentenced to 150 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of firearms.
27-year-old Zebulon Timothy Nester was just 17 when he was arrested in connection to a shooting which happened at a house party in Kentwood. The shooting took place in August of 2013 at a house on Diane Street when there was a confrontation between Nester and the shooting victim, who was the only person injured.
Nester was released on the shooting charges in January of 2022. In July 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his home in Ravenna. There they located a stock of firearms, unregistered firearm silencers, ammunition, firearms accessories, body armor, a 3-D printer, and 3-D printed “Glock switches,” which convert semi-automatic Glock pistols into fully automatic firearms.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said that under federal law Glock switches alone, even if not attached to a firearm, are defined as machine guns. Federal law also requires firearm silencers to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
“Whether they are purchased illegally, stolen, or manufactured at home, federal law is clear: firearms, ammunition, unregistered silencers, and firearm conversion devices do not belong in the hands of felons,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “The serious sentence imposed here shows that illegally armed criminals will face serious consequences in federal court.”
Nester was also apprehended by local authorities in June of 2022 for possession of a firearm in connection with a breaking and entering report where an additional handgun was stolen from a residence in Newaygo County.
After his release for the new charge U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker also ordered Nester to spend three years on supervised release. Nester pleaded guilty to this charge back in April.
“Zebulon Nester blatantly and illegally possessed and sold firearms buying himself another round in federal prison. Risking the safety of our community will not be tolerated,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “ATF and its law enforcement partners will identify and hold accountable those individuals who continue to contribute to the violence in our cities.”
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