politics
Federal authorities charge five people in alleged Georgia-to-Chicago gun trafficking case
Five defendants face federal charges after authorities recovered 20 firearms allegedly purchased in Georgia and later recovered in three states. Prosecutors say some weapons were converted to fully automatic and linked to violent crimes in Chicago.
New York PostAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Federal authorities have dismantled an alleged firearms trafficking ring that prosecutors say funneled dozens of guns from Georgia to Chicago street gangs, with some of the weapons later linked to a juvenile murder and other violent crimes. Five people were charged in a 23-count federal indictment unsealed this month in the Middle District of Georgia following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Prosecutors said two defendants face the most serious charges, including conspiracy involving firearms trafficking, machine guns, and drug trafficking. Both face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, while three additional defendants also face federal firearms conspiracy charges.
According to court documents, one defendant is allegedly a member of the Chicago-based Black Disciples gang and an associate of another Chicago street gang known as the Conservative Vice Lords. Prosecutors allege this defendant was directed by co-conspirators to make straw purchases of firearms from Georgia gun stores that were later transported and distributed to gang members in the Chicago area.
Prosecutors allege the same defendant purchased dozens of firearms from Georgia gun stores between 2020 and 2021, including at least 22 firearms over a 10-month period. Some of those firearms were allegedly converted into fully automatic weapons and later used in multiple violent crimes, according to the indictment.
Authorities said police recovered 20 firearms allegedly purchased by one defendant in three states between 2021 and 2026. According to prosecutors, the Chicago Police Department recovered a pistol in 2021 from the bedroom of a known juvenile gang member.
Forensic testing later linked the firearm to three separate violent crimes. Prosecutors allege the pistol was used in a 2021 Chicago murder and later in the shooting of a rival gang member. Investigators said the firearm was purchased in Georgia just 36 days before it was allegedly used in the homicide.
