CHICAGO — It’s a grim milestone for the Windy City as Johnathan Burgos, 33, faces more than 16 years in federal prison after being caught with his hands deep in the illegal firearms trade. Burgos was convicted of selling 14 firearms and multiple high-capacity magazines to an undercover FBI agent.
The pernicious dealings occurred over two years, from 2020 through 2021. Burgos, already on parole or bond for firearm cases in state court, managed to sell stolen handguns, a gun with an obliterated serial number, and a rifle. His brazen move was finally undone when the FBI swooped in.
Burgos pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal firearm charges. On Aug. 15, 2025, U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced him to 16 years and eight months behind bars. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mower summed up the gravity of Burgos’s crime: “Defendant’s gun trafficking posed a severe danger to the community.”
During most of the transactions, Burgos was under electronic monitoring by the Illinois Department of Corrections for his previous firearm offenses. The sentence was announced with solemnity 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.
“He personally coordinated each sale and used coded language in phone calls and text messages to mask the illicit nature of his discussions,” Mower stated in the government’s sentencing memorandum. The community can now breathe a little easier knowing that one of its most notorious gun dealers is behind bars for a very long time.
Johnathan Burgos’s case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing battle against illegal firearms trafficking and the efforts of law enforcement to keep our streets safe.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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