PARSIPPANY — A Parsippany man was sentenced today to five years in state prison for unlawfully possessing two machine guns.

Adam Coughlan, 29, was arrested May 21, 2009 after a raid of his Lake Hiawatha home turned up more than 40 firearms and ammunition. Authorities said he was converting weapons into illegal assault weapons, and was captured on electronic surveillance arranging to sell an AK-47 automatic firearm at a Quick Chek in Parsippany.

Coughlan faced a pair of five-year prison terms, or 10 years total, after pleading guilty March 24 to two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a machine gun. He admitted using kits bought online to convert two semi-automatic AK-47-style weapons into fully-automatic weapons with 30-round detachable magazines.

Defense attorney Gregg Trautmann, who sought concurrent sentences, noted Coughlan had no prior record and most of the weapons were for hunting or collector’s items. He was a lifelong Parsippany resident who lived with his parents and was working at a Quick Chek store.

"Significantly, (the guns) were not used in a crime," Trautmann said. "What you have here is a young man who is, frankly, naïve."

Coughlan, who said he hails from a "do-it-yourself" family and has crafted his own guitars, converted the guns because he "enjoyed the mechanical challenge. I’m sorry I broke the law and made a serious mistake."

Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Bradford Seabury, who sought a pair of consecutive five-year terms, said, "This defendant knew exactly what he was doing. When these machine guns hit our streets, it doesn’t take too much imagination to see what can happen."

Because the two counts were essentially one crime, Superior Court Judge David Ironson, sitting in Morristown, imposed concurrent five-year sentences. Coughlan must serve at least three years before parole eligibility, forfeit his right to own firearms for life and pay $280 in penalties. The other guns must either be sold by an independent third-party or forfeited. The 37 other counts were dismissed.

Previous coverage:

• Parsippany man arrested for weapons cache was converting guns to illegal weapons for profit

• Parsippany man charged after authorities find weapons cache

• Parsippany man arrested for weapons cache