Federal Indictment Accuses Three Men of Unlawfully Dealing or Possessing Firearms in Chicago

JOHNATHAN BURGOS, 28, of Chicago, illegally dealt firearms in Chicago from January to March of last year, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Burgos also illegally possessed handguns and a semiautomatic rifle on seven occasions last year and this year, the indictment states.  As a previously convicted felon, Burgos was not lawfully allowed to possess the firearms.

Two other convicted felons – ALEJANDRO DAVIS, 29, of Chicago, and DAMIAN REYES, 23, of Chicago – are also charged in the indictment with illegally possessing firearms in the city.

All three defendants were arrested Wednesday and have made initial appearances in federal court in Chicago.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mower represents the government.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison, while dealing firearms without a license is punishable by up to five years.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.