Chicago Man Sentenced to Over 16 Years in Prison for Illegal Firearms Sales (Chicago, IL) – A 33-year-old Chicago man has been sentenced to more than 16 years in federal prison for illegally dealing more than a dozen firearms, including stolen handguns and weapons with obliterated serial numbers.
Johnathan Burgos sold 14 firearms and several large-capacity magazines in 2020 and 2021 to an individual who was secretly working with the FBI, according to federal prosecutors. Among the weapons were multiple stolen handguns and a rifle.
At the time of many of the sales, Burgos was already on parole or bond under electronic monitoring for prior firearm offenses in Illinois state court.
Burgos pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal firearm charges. On Aug. 15, U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced him to 16 years and eight months in prison.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros, FBI Chicago Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas S. DePodesta, and Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling.
In court filings, prosecutors argued that Burgos’s activities posed a serious threat to public safety. “Defendant’s gun trafficking posed a severe danger to the community,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mower wrote, noting that Burgos personally arranged each sale and used coded language in calls and texts to conceal the transactions.
Recommendation: Run this as a crime and courts piece with emphasis on community risk.
Next step: Place under metro/crime section with headline prioritizing sentence length and firearms sales.
Chicago Man Sentenced to Over 16 Years in Prison for Illegal Firearms Sales
