KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Federal charges filed last month allege a former Winnetonka High School employee participated in a conspiracy to sell machine guns during the school day.
Markel Fluker, who served as a campus supervisor and assistant wrestling coach at the school, was arrested on Dec. 22, 2025, following a months-long investigation.
Court documents allege Markel Fluker worked with a relative, Markeese Fluker, to acquire firearms and then convert them into machine guns.
As part of the investigation, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted several "controlled purchases" of the converted machine guns over several months, starting on Sept. 24, 2025.
The first controlled buy involved three firearms and five 3D printed machine gun conversion devices.
Agents conducted another controlled buy on Oct. 1 for four firearms and eight 3D printed machine gun conversion devices.
On Oct. 7, an ATF confidential informant was FaceTiming with both Markel and Markeese. Markel told the informant he was at work during the call.
The informant later told ATF agents that he observed Markel "in a classroom with red paint and a white board, and that a high school-aged student came into the room and interrupted the conversation to inquire about a grade or schedule."
Court documents indicate the informant's information "was consistent" with information the ATF agent had received about Markel being a campus supervisor at Winnetonka High School
The following day, on Oct. 8, the informant and an ATF undercover agent conducted a third controlled purchase with Markeese, this time obtaining four firearms and 10 more 3D printed machine gun conversion devices.
As agents continued to build their case, they conducted a fourth controlled buy on Oct. 24, obtaining five firearms and eight 3D printed machine gun conversion devices.
Court documents revealed ATF agents traced the original sale of most of the firearms back to Markel. The pair would then convert them into machine guns.
A fifth controlled purchase was conducted on Nov. 24, in which Markeese sold four more firearms.
In early December, Markel and Markeese continued to communicate with an undercover agent about selling additional firearms.
Court documents detail one such conversation on Dec. 9, in which the undercover agent was attempting to arrange a controlled buy but received a text message saying, "I got a wrestling tournament till 9 tonight."
The agent learned that Winntonka had a wrestling tournament that night at Excelsior Springs High School.
Court documents state the agent believed Markel was the one who stored and had access to the firearms, and Markeese was the one who conducted the sales. The agent surmised that because Markel was at the wrestling tournament that night, Markeese couldn't get access to the firearms and was unable to complete the sale.
While the Dec. 9 controlled purchase didn't happen, the parties did arrange a controlled buy on Dec. 11.
By this time, agents had installed a vehicle tracker on Markel's GMC pickup. The tracker showed Markel left his home at 7:12 a.m. and arrived at Winnetonka High School at 7:19 a.m.
At 10:23 a.m., Markel was tracked leaving the high school and arriving back at his home at 10:28 a.m. At some point, Markeese arrived at Markel's home.
Marskeese was seen leaving the residence at 11:42 a.m. A few seconds later, Markel also left the residence. The vehicle tracker showed him returning to the high school a few minutes later.
Just before noon, Markeese arrived at the location for the controlled buy with the undercover agent. Markeese sold five more firearms.
On Dec. 18, federal investigators executed a search warrant at Markel's home.
Investigators recovered the following items:
- 31 firearms
- Two short-barreled rifles
- One privately-made firearm (also known as a ghost gun)
- Seven gun frames — some printed with a 3D printer — in various stages of completion
- An AR jig for making AR lower receivers
- Two drum magazines
- 20 extended magazines
- 1,000 rounds of assorted ammunition
- A 3D printer with black filament
- $600 in recorded bills that undercover agents had used in the Dec. 11 controlled buy
The U.S. District Attorney in the District of Kansas charged Markel with one count of conspiracy to commit unlawful trafficking in firearms and one count of possession and transfer of a machine gun.
U.S. Marshals arrested Markel in late December in Kansas City, Missouri. Markel made his initial appearance before a federal judge on Dec. 22.
A detention hearing was held on Dec. 23, in which the judge ordered Markel to remain in federal custody. A status conference is set for Jan. 16.
A North Kansas City School District spokesperson told KSHB 41 News that Markel was placed on leave and later terminated as soon as the district learned of the charges.
On Monday night, Winnetonka High School Principal Dr. Edward Tate Jr. notified the Winnetonka school community about the situation.
"Over the break, you may have seen that a now-former staff member was taken into custody on weapons-related federal charges due to some alleged activities he was involved in within the community and across state lines," Tate wrote in the email.
Tate said the district does not have any evidence that students were involved in the alleged activities.
"As soon as we learned of the charges, this individual was placed on leave and ultimately no longer employed in any capacity with our district," Tate continued. "At this time, we do not have any more detailed information than what has been released publicly. It is important to allow time for the judicial process to occur."
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