PASCO COUNTY, Fla. – Stewart Walter Bachmann, 55, Dade City, has pleaded guilty to possession of a machine gun and possession of a firearm not identified by a serial number.
A potential catastrophe averted.
On August 5, 2023, Bachman called the Pasco Sheriff’s Office to inform them that he was being held prisoner and would be “put under” by persons who could walk across the “5th dimension.”
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As the call progressed, Bachmann also stated that there was “going to be something like 9/11,” and an invisible person was currently in the backseat of his vehicle.
Pasco Sheriff’s deputies made contact with Bachmann near the Tampa Premium Outlet Mall.
When deputies began speaking with Bachmann, he told them that the CIA was planning a politically motivated mass shooting at the mall.
When deputies asked Bachmann if he was going to be the one committing the shooting, he indicated he didn’t know or hadn’t been told that yet.
The Pasco Sherriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted a search warrant of Bachmann’s home. During the search, several firearms that are required to be registered in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record were located.
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However, another firearm (RAK15), an AR-15-type rifle, was also found. This rifle had been modified to house an automatic sear, converting the weapon to fully automatic, according to the Department of Justice.
ATF found no records for this weapon in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record, indicating Bachmann was unlawfully in possession of the device. The weapon also had not been marked with a new serial number after it had been converted to fire fully automatically.
During the same search of Bachmann’s home, law enforcement also found a machine gun conversion device, which is a device designed to convert a semiautomatic firearm to a fully automatic firearm. This conversion device also was not registered in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record and did not have a serial number.
Each charge carries up to 10 years in federal prison. Sentencing is set for June 4, 2024.
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