From the U.S. Attorney:
FEDERAL JURY CONVICTS MAN OF TRAFFICKING MULTIPLE RIFLES IN CHICAGO
CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a man of trafficking six rifles, including AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, and a handgun in Chicago.
CEDRIC CURTIS, 32, of Chicago, sold the six rifles and handgun to a buyer in 2018 and 2019.
Unbeknownst to Curtis, the buyer was cooperating with federal law enforcement.
Curtis was not a licensed firearms dealer and, having been previously convicted of a felony offense, could not legally possess a firearm.
The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago last week convicted Curtis on
- one count of dealing firearms without a license and
- six counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso set sentencing for Oct. 1, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.
The conviction was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Chicago Police Department provided valuable assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn D. McCarthy and Margaret A. Steindorf.
A co-defendant, DEONTA MOORE, 31, of Chicago, pleaded guilty prior to trial to a charge of illegal firearm possession by a previously convicted felon.
Moore was sentenced to three years and a month in federal prison.
Holding illegal firearm dealers accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has deployed the PSN program to tackle a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
