CHICAGO — With the summer months approaching, John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today announced continued progress in combating violent crime through a series of targeted strategies as part of the revitalized Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

The Department of Justice recently strengthened and enhanced PSN, an evidence-based program that serves as the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch has deployed the enhanced PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district.  Northern District of Illinois prosecutors target criminal organizations, leading to prosecutions of complex racketeering and drug trafficking enterprises, while also removing the most violent offenders from the community through prosecution of individual violent crime, drug, and firearm possession cases.  PSN resources are also invested in local prevention and reentry programs that seek to implement lasting reductions in crime through community engagement.

“Anyone thinking of engaging in gun violence or trafficking dangerous narcotics in Chicago this summer needs to know that a federal prosecution could await them,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “A primary goal of our office is to reduce violent crime, and we will continue to use every available federal law enforcement tool to keep people safe this summer and beyond.”

The PSN program has enabled the U.S. Attorney’s Office to sustain and expand upon significant increases in the prosecution of violent crime and gun offenders.  For example, in the first seven months of the 2019 Fiscal Year (FY),[1] the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged more federal firearm offenses than were charged in each of the entire fiscal years of 2004 through 2016.  The number of charged firearm defendants in 2019 will likely substantially exceed the numbers charged in 2018 and 2017, which saw the most and second-most firearm defendants, respectively, in more than a decade. 

Crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department (CPD) reveal significant reductions in violent crime in Chicago this year.  In the first four months of 2019, violent crime in Chicago was down 10%, according to CPD statistics.  CPD reported double-digit reductions in murders, robberies, burglaries, and carjackings, compared to the same four-month period in 2018.  Shooting incidents were down 8% in that period, which also marked a 41% reduction compared to 2016.

“We are working closer than ever with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to increase prosecutions of trigger-pullers and carjackers, and those who illegally use and possess firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “While we are making progress, we realize that a great deal of work remains to be done, especially in the summer months ahead.” 

Enforcement Actions

The U.S. Attorney’s Office works closely with U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) to investigate and prosecute violent offenders.   State and local partners in this effort include CPD, Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and numerous county and local departments throughout the district.

As part of these efforts, law enforcement in the Northern District frequently use an important tool for investigating violent crime and firearms cases:  ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).  NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms.  NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles.

Thus far in Fiscal Year 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted hundreds of defendants for firearms offenses, drug trafficking, and other violent crimes.

Racketeering Prosecutions

“Combating violent street gangs is a top priority in our office,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

This month, racketeering and murder charges were unsealed against four alleged members of a Chicago street gang known as the Milwaukee Kings.  The charges allege that each of the defendants committed murder, while one of them also committed two attempted murders.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office worked closely in the investigation with FBI and CPD.

Racketeering charges were also brought this month against LUIS CONTRERAS, of Chicago, for allegedly committing murder to maintain and increase his position in the Latin Saints street gang.  The indictment alleges that members of the Latin Saints boasted about the gang on social media and intimidated rival gang members through acts of violence.  Arraignment is set for May 23, 2019.  ATF, HSI and CPD led the probe.

Last month, two alleged members of the Evans Mob street gang were charged with committing murder in aid of racketeering.  The indictment describes the Evans Mob as a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in numerous acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder and assault, to acquire and preserve the gang’s territory on Chicago’s South Side.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty.  The case was investigated by ATF and CPD.

In October 2018, a joint federal and state investigation resulted in racketeering and murder charges against five alleged members of a Chicago street gang faction known as the Goonie Boss.  The federal indictment alleges that Goonie members and their associates terrorized the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side and were responsible for eleven murders.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty.  The case was investigated by FBI and CPD.

Firearm Trafficking and Firearm Theft Prosecutions

“Straw purchasers and firearms traffickers enable unlawful possession of guns and the violence that may follow,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who engage in illicit firearm transactions.”

Earlier this month, a federal jury in Chicago convicted OMRAN ISMAIL, of Burbank, of conspiring to straw purchase several handguns on behalf of someone else.  Ismail faces up to ten years in prison when he is sentenced later this year.  HSI, CPD, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection participated in the probe.

In February 2019, four defendants were charged as part of an investigation that disrupted a Missouri-to-Chicago firearms pipeline.  The probe, led by ATF and CPD, revealed that two Missouri residents brought numerous handguns to Chicago and supplied them to a convicted felon for eventual sale on the streets.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty.  One of the defendants who allegedly purchased some of the guns in Chicago, DERRICK CLAIBORNE, was also charged in a separate federal indictment with possessing multiple firearms and fentanyl-laced heroin in his residence in the South Loop neighborhood of Chicago.  Claiborne has pleaded not guilty in that case.

In December 2018, JYMIL CAMPBELL, a convicted felon from Chicago, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for illegally selling more than a dozen firearms in the city’s North Lawndale neighborhood.  Campbell sold ten handguns, three rifles, and four large-capacity magazines for $8,700.  Unbeknownst to Campbell, the two buyers were confidential informants working on behalf of law enforcement.  ATF led the probe.

In October 2018, MONICA NAVEJAR, of Chicago, was indicted on firearm charges for conspiring to “straw purchase” handguns in Indiana on behalf of a convicted felon in Chicago.  The charges accuse Navejar of purchasing the guns from licensed dealers in Indiana and falsely certifying on federal forms that she was the actual buyer.  Navejar pleaded not guilty.  ATF, FBI, and CPD conducted the probe.

Carjacking Prosecutions

“Our message to would-be carjackers this summer is simple: Committing a senseless act of violence like carjacking could earn you a stay in federal prison for a long time,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

Earlier this month, four teenagers were indicted on carjacking or weapons offenses in connection with a vehicle theft at gunpoint in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood.  Three of the defendants were charged with using, carrying and brandishing a firearm in connection with a violent crime - an offense punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison.  Arraignments are set for May 29, 2019.  The probe was led by FBI and CPD, with assistance from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

In February 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced federal carjacking charges against five individuals in connection with violent carjackings in Chicago or the suburbs.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty.  The investigations were conducted by CPD, ATF and FBI, with assistance from ISP and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. 

Illegal Possession of Firearm Prosecutions

“If you are a felon and you are thinking about picking up a gun this summer, you should expect to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and face the possibility of going to federal prison for a long time,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has brought numerous firearm cases as part of PSN and the recent addition of its Gun Crimes Prosecution Team strategy, which was created to enhance the prosecution of illegal firearm cases in certain police districts in Chicago.  Working collaboratively with federal and local law enforcement, and state prosecutors, the team focuses on charging Chicago’s most dangerous criminals quickly after arrest, endeavoring to disrupt the cycle of violence in the neighborhoods most in need.  As noted above, over the past two years and during the current fiscal year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has increased its prosecution of illegal possession and illegal use of firearms cases – charging more gun defendants in each of the past two years than in any single year in more than a decade.  More than 175 individuals have been charged with federal gun crimes thus far in FY 2019, according to preliminary data – an increase of over 80% from the number of firearm defendants charged federally during the same period in 2018.

“Our goal as prosecutors is not simply to bring more cases against more defendants, but to reduce the number of homicides and shootings in the Northern District.  We work with our law enforcement partners to identify cases that will have the greatest impact on the communities most plagued by violence, and where prosecutions and federal prison time are most likely to disrupt cycles of shootings and retaliation,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “We recognize there are presently far too many gun crimes in the Chicago area, and we have increased our enforcement efforts in order to charge as many impactful cases as possible.”

Examples of felon-in-possession sentencings in federal court during FY19 include:

GLENN WATKINS, of Chicago, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for illegally possessing a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun in the city’s Hermosa neighborhood.  Watkins was arrested in May 2017 for a traffic violation.  After being taken into custody, CPD officers discovered that Watkins had hidden the gun inside a cloth holster that was tied to his testicles with a white shoelace.

KEESHON SAMSON, of Chicago, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for illegally possessing a loaded semiautomatic handgun in the city’s South Chicago neighborhood.  The gun had been reported stolen in a burglary of a licensed firearms dealer a month earlier.  At the time he possessed the gun, Samson was on probation for a kidnapping offense.  CPD and ATF led the probe.

IESHA STANCIEL, of Willowbrook, was sentenced to six years in prison for illegally possessing two firearms in DuPage County.  Stanciel also threatened an individual who was cooperating with law enforcement in the case.  In a message on the cooperating individual’s Facebook page, Stanciel posted emojis of a handgun and referred to the individual as a “snitch.”  FBI and ATF led the probe, with assistance from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and Bolingbrook Police Department.

LUIS REYNOSO, of Chicago, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for illegally possessing two loaded semi-automatic handguns in a park in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago.  Reynoso had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, including attempted murder.  The probe was conducted by FBI and CPD.

MICHAEL SMITH, of Chicago, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for illegally possessing a semiautomatic handgun with an obliterated serial number on the city’s Near West Side.  CPD officers observed Smith retrieve the gun from a parked vehicle and place it in his waistband.  When officers approached, Smith ran but was apprehended on the second-floor porch of a nearby residence.  At the time of the offense, Smith was on probation for a felony narcotics conviction.

DIANTE DAVIS, of Chicago, was sentenced to ten years in prison for brandishing a loaded handgun while dealing drugs in Chicago’s Homan Square neighborhood.  During a deal with an undercover law enforcement officer, Davis pointed the gun at the officer and accused him of working for law enforcement, saying, “You’re probably recording me right now.”  As it turned out, the drug deal was indeed surreptitiously recorded by law enforcement.  Davis was arrested, and the undercover officer was not harmed.  DEA and CPD led the investigation, with assistance from ISP.

Two days after being released from custody for a felony conviction, DAVID HOLLY, of Chicago, was arrested for illegally possessing a loaded handgun on a street on Chicago’s Far South Side.  He was convicted after a bench trial and sentenced to five years in federal prison.  CPD led the probe.

 

Narcotics Trafficking Prosecutions

The U.S. Attorney’s Office targets traffickers who bring illegal drugs into Illinois from other states or countries, with a particular focus on traffickers who use guns, violence and threats of violence to protect and promote their illegal businesses.  The office also investigates and prosecutes dealers who distribute powerful opioids like fentanyl and heroin. 

“Fentanyl is a dangerously potent drug,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “Anyone who sells fentanyl on the streets of Chicago this summer will endure the full weight of law enforcement, and that includes a possible federal prosecution.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office often works directly with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to ensure that individuals trafficking drugs are charged with appropriate offenses in either federal or state court.  Examples of recent federal prosecutions include:

This month, eleven individuals, including a woman and two of her sons, were charged as part of a federal drug and gun investigation in Chicago.  During the multi-year probe, law enforcement seized 29 firearms and associated ammunition, a machete and sheath, approximately a kilogram of cocaine, and 78 pounds of marijuana.  Law enforcement also seized from one of the defendants a Rolex watch and two necklaces.  Attached to the necklaces were 14-carat gold pendants with the initials “LAFA” written in diamonds.  The initials are an apparent reference to the defendant’s suspected affiliation with LAFA, a Chicago street gang.  Arraignments have not yet been scheduled.  FBI and CPD led the investigation, with assistance by IRS, Cook County Sheriff’s Department, Evergreen Park Police Department, Joliet Police Department, Orland Park Police Department, and Bolingbrook Police Department.

Ten defendants were charged in March 2019 as part of a multi-year federal probe into drug trafficking in the East Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago.  Law enforcement seized approximately 13 pounds of suspected methamphetamines, a half-kilogram of suspected heroin, approximately 13,000 pills of suspected ecstasy, and 18 firearms.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty.  The investigation was led by ATF and CPD, with assistance from ISP. 

In March 2019, 35 individuals were charged as part of a joint federal and state investigation into heroin and fentanyl trafficking on the West Side of Chicago.  Many of the defendants allegedly distributed heroin and fentanyl-laced heroin to customers in the Chicago area, with drivers dispatched to make drug deliveries after customers placed orders on a telephone hotline.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty.  The investigation was jointly conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA).  The task forces, which are comprised of agents and officers from the above-mentioned federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations.

In December 2018, a father and son from Chicago were among 18 individuals charged as part of an investigation into cocaine trafficking.  The defendants allegedly distributed cocaine to hundreds of customers in the Chicago area, with drivers dispatched to make door-to-door deliveries.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty.  The OCDETF investigation was led by FBI and DEA, with the assistance of police departments from Evanston, Skokie, Lincolnwood, Palatine, and Des Plaines.

In “Operation Dirty Ice,” 12 individuals were charged with trafficking heroin on the West Side of Chicago.  During the probe, authorities seized one and a half kilograms of heroin, a half-kilogram of crack cocaine, more than $892,000 in illicit cash proceeds, and a stolen handgun.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty.  The OCDETF investigation was led by FBI and CPD, with assistance from IRS and ISP.

Sales of fentanyl and fentanyl-laced heroin were the target of a joint federal and state investigation that resulted in charges against more than 25 individuals.  The federal charges described drug sales in the Tri-Taylor, Humboldt Park and West Garfield Park neighborhoods on Chicago’s West Side, as well as deals in the Chatham neighborhood on the city’s South Side.  The defendants have pleaded not guilty.  The probe was led by CPD, with assistance from numerous federal agents assigned to a HIDTA task force.

Community Partnerships

The revitalized PSN program continues to invest resources in many violence-prevention initiatives.  Members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office have participated in parolee forums and youth outreach forums, and these efforts will continue this summer.

The monthly parolee forums, also known as offender notification meetings, rotate among various Chicago neighborhoods.  Recent parolees who have moved back into the neighborhoods are offered the chance to make an informed choice not to engage in further criminal activity.  Researchers at Yale University found that ex-offenders who attend a forum are 30% less likely to commit a new offense than those who did not attend a forum.

The quarterly youth forums assist children aged 13-17 to identify a path other than gang membership.  The youth forums are conducted in partnership with CPD, the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, and the University of Chicago Crime Lab, which tracks the progress of the children to assess results.

CHICAGO — A grand jury has indicted a Chicago man on federal racketeering charges for allegedly committing murder to maintain and increase his position in a violent street gang.

LUIS CONTRERAS, 39, is charged with one count of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and two counts of illegally possessing multiple firearms and ammunition.  The indictment accuses Contreras of murdering Andre Franzell on Feb. 18, 2018, for the purpose of maintaining and increasing Contreras’s position in the Latin Saints street gang.  Franzell, 23, was fatally shot in the 7700 block of South Kilbourn Avenue in Chicago’s Scottsdale neighborhood.

The indictment was returned Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.  Arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Timothy Jones, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; James M. Gibbons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago; and Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kavitha Babu and Nicholas J. Eichenseer.

The indictment alleges that the Latin Saints is a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in narcotics trafficking and committed acts of violence, including murder and assault, to acquire and preserve the gang’s territory on the South Side of Chicago.  Members of the Latin Saints publicly claimed responsibility for their activities, boasted about the gang on social media, and intimidated rival gang members through acts and threats of violence, according to the indictment.

The attempted murder count accuses Contreras of trying to kill a man on the same day as the Franzell murder.  The illegal firearm possession counts allege that Contreras is a convicted felon who was not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  Murder in aid of racketeering is punishable by a mandatory sentence of life in prison, and the death penalty is also possible.   The attempted murder count and the illegal gun possession counts are each punishable by up to ten years in prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — Nine individuals are facing criminal charges as part of a joint federal and state investigation into heroin and cocaine sales in the Joliet area.

As part of the probe, law enforcement intercepted cellphone communications between the defendants, conducted extensive surveillance, and seized several items, including three firearms, more than three kilograms of cocaine, more than 60 grams of heroin, approximately $90,000 in illicit cash proceeds, and several vehicles.  Authorities also carried out court-authorized searches of residences in the 800 block of Vine Street in Joliet, the 1400 block of Exposition Avenue in Aurora, and the 2100 block of Englewood Avenue in Lockport.  The investigation was conducted under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, whose principal mission is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations.

Seven defendants are charged in U.S. District Court in Chicago in conspiracies to possess controlled substances with the intent to distribute.  Two defendants are charged in Will County with state drug offenses.  

Several of the federal defendants were arrested last week and have made initial appearances in federal court in Chicago.  The state defendants will appear in Will County Circuit Court at a later time.

The federal charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Substantial assistance was provided by the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, Joliet Police Department, Bolingbrook Police Department, Will County Sheriff's Office, Cook County Sheriff's Office, Orland Park Police Department, Evergreen Park Police Department, Aurora Police Department, and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Joint Intelligence Sharing Initiative.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Devlin N. Su represents the government in the federal cases.

Charged with federal conspiracies are WILLIAM NOBLES, 51, of Joliet; JARON NABORS, 38, of Joliet; ERICKA PRUITTE, 38, of Joliet; KALVIN STEWART, 51, of Aurora; GREGORY WARFIELD, 67, of Joliet; CAESAR ESTRADA, 44, of Joliet; and LUIS CONTRERAS, 40, of Joliet.  Charged in state court are TASHAUN M. MCCARTER, 40, of Joliet; and DAVID L. WHITE, 53, of Joliet.

According to the federal complaints, Nobles is affiliated with the Joliet faction of the Black Gangster Disciples street gang and operates a drug trafficking organization in the Joliet area.  Nabors has conspired with Nobles to distribute the drugs, while Pruitte served as a courier on behalf of Nabors, the charges allege.  The complaints describe several instances in which the trio allegedly conspired to distribute narcotics, including in February 2018 when Nobles allegedly supplied Pruitte with cocaine that had been distributed to Nobles by Estrada and Contreras, knowing that Pruitte would then deliver the drugs to Nabors.  After the meeting, law enforcement pulled over Pruitte’s vehicle and discovered cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin inside the car, the charges allege.

A separate cocaine seizure occurred in December 2017 after Stewart allegedly supplied Warfield with the drugs during a meeting in Aurora, knowing that Warfield would then deliver the drugs to Nobles.  After the meeting, law enforcement pulled over Warfield’s pickup truck and discovered the cocaine in a shopping bag hidden in the passenger-side molding, according to the complaints.  Officers also discovered a loaded handgun in the center console of the truck, the complaints state.       

The federal conspiracy charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. 

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