Published on: Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Federal gun prosecutions are on the rise in Chicago following an increase of federal agents in the city, article available here. The Department of Justice has dispatched 200 additional agents from several federal agencies to Chicago as a result of the expansion of Operation Legend. The operation—named after a 4-year-old boy who died in a Missouri shooting—is intended to fight violent crime through a cooperative effort between federal and local officials.

The increased federal help is reflected in a surge of federal gun cases being quickly filed in federal court. In the past two weeks, federal gun charges have been filed against about 20 people, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In the past, federal prosecutors typically stepped in after considering whether to take a case from state prosecutors. Now, federal prosecutors are increasingly handling cases upfront and are often filing charges quickly through criminal complaints rather than indictments.

Possible sentences in federal gun crimes can be much tougher than state court. The maximum sentence for unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon is 10 years in prison. However, if a person has previously been convicted of three or more qualifying drug offenses or violent felonies, no matter how long ago, the applicable sentence is a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years behind bars, and up to life.