Coventry Man Admits To Having 4 Machine Guns

COVENTRY, RI — A man with residencies in Coventry and Florida admitted to a federal judge Wednesday he was caught four guns that were modified into machine guns.

Joshua Pavao, 44, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered firearm. Prosecutors said the unregistered firearm was also modified to be a machine gun and had a barrel length of just under 11 inches — significantly less than the 16 inches required by law.

In December 2023, Pavao sent East Providence police on a high-speed chase, which resulted in several crashes, prosecutors said. According to prosecutors, the chases happened after a report of gunshots.

After crashing, Pavao ran away, but he was quickly apprehended, prosecutors said. Police then seized three loaded guns, ammunitions, and loaded pistol magazines. Prosecutors said the guns and ammo were inside the vehicle, spilled out onto the roadway, and in a bag Pavao stashed near a home.

Police and ATF agents later searched a duffle bag belonging to Pavao inside a garage at a home where Pavao was staying. Prosecutors said authorities found eight long guns, four of which were outfitted with an auto sear machine gun conversion device, rendering them machine guns.

Pavao is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5.

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