Ervin Noel Jr

Introduction

Ervin Noel Jr, 22, of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, was convicted by a federal jury of possession of a machinegun, under 18 U.S.C. § 922(o), and reckless endangerment, under 14 V.I.C. § 625(a) . The conviction, announced by US Attorney Adam F. Sleeper, carries a possible sentence of up to ten years’ imprisonment, and Chief District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy will schedule a sentencing hearing to determine the term to be imposed .

Background Information

According to court documents and testimony presented at trial, on 28 February 2025 Noel was a passenger in a vehicle travelling down a road in Frederiksted, St. Croix, when he fired a firearm three times into the air, endangering the community . He was arrested on 9 May 2025 in connection with that incident .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted by a federal jury; sentencing pending.

During his arrest, Noel was the sole passenger in a car in which Virgin Islands Police Department officers found a firearm under the seat where he was sitting, and Noel admitted to possessing it . The firearm was outfitted with a device known as a “Glock switch” or “chip” that converted it into a fully automatic machine gun . At trial, the jury was shown cell phone videos of Noel displaying his modified firearm, which was attached to a 50-round drum magazine . The jury convicted him on both counts — unlawful machinegun possession for the converted weapon itself, and reckless endangerment for the three shots fired from the moving car into the air over a public road .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The conviction was announced by US Attorney Sleeper’s office; the case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation . The office’s announcement publicized the machinegun-conversion evidence and the trial videos as the core of its firearms-offense enforcement in the territory .

Current Status

Noel has been convicted but not yet sentenced: Judge Molloy will schedule a sentencing hearing, and the convictions expose him to up to ten years’ imprisonment . The jury’s verdict resolved the machinegun-possession and reckless-endangerment counts after trial, with the cell phone videos and his admission of possession as the central proof .

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 22, Noel stands convicted of possessing a handgun illegally converted to fully automatic fire with a 50-round drum — a combination federal prosecutors treat as among the most serious firearms violations — and awaits a sentencing hearing that could put him in prison for up to a decade . The three shots he fired into the air over a Frederiksted road, and the videos he recorded of the weapon, became the evidence that ended before a federal jury .

Sources

• “Federal Jury Convicts Crucian Man For Possessing ‘Glock switch’ Machine Gun” — US Attorney’s Office, District of the Virgin Islands / justice.gov, November 2026: source