I think Hoover's defense asked for a separate trial to avoid this. and they were obviously denied.Worked 20 years for DOJ. The tool that a US Attorney will use when there are 2 or more people involved is to slap a conspiracy charge on top as well. It is easy to get them tripped up in (especially since dips&$t put it on video) and enhances the charge adding an easy 120 months (The Feds always sentence in months)
From the DOJ press release looks like that’s exactly what happened as well as the other charges!
Federal Jury Convicts Two Men For Conspiring To Transfer Unregistered Machinegun Conversion Devices Disguised As “Pen Holders”
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury today found Kristopher Justinboyer Ervin (43, Orange Park) and Matthew Raymond Hoover (39, Wisconsin) guilty of conspiring to transfer unregistered machinegun conversion devices that they referred to...www.justice.gov