From the U.S. Attorney:
Federal Judge Sentences Chicago Street Gang Member to 34 Years in Prison for Murdering a Man and Threatening a Witness
CHICAGO — A member of a violent Chicago street gang has been sentenced to 34 years in federal prison for murdering a man to maintain and increase his position in the gang.
DIONTAE HARPER, 25, of Chicago, admitted in a plea agreement that he murdered Paul Harris on May 13, 2020.
Harper and another man fired multiple shots at Harris as he sat in a vehicle at a gas station in the 8600 block of South Halsted Street in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
Harper stated in the plea agreement that he committed the murder to maintain and increase his position in the Faceworld street gang, a criminal organization based on the South Side of Chicago whose members engaged in violent crimes and trafficked narcotics.
While Harper was detained in law enforcement custody earlier this year, he made threatening statements directed toward a witness.
Harper pleaded guilty in January to a federal charge of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, causing Harris’s death. U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah imposed the 34-year prison sentence during a hearing on May 8, 2025, in federal court in Chicago.
Harper’s sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia Schwartz, Sushma Raju, and Matthew Moyer.
Two other individuals – the other shooter of Harris and the getaway driver – pleaded guilty to committing murder in aid of racketeering and are awaiting sentencing.
