Lazaro Salas, Illicit Firearm Dealings, Illinois 2016

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Chicago Man Indicted for Illicit Firearm Dealings

A Chicago man with a prior felony conviction has been indicted on federal gun charges for illegally dealing and possessing firearms. Lazaro Salas, 32, is accused of dealing firearms from September 2013 to November 2015.

According to a federal criminal complaint and affidavit, Salas allegedly purchased between 40 and 60 guns through a straw purchaser and then re-sold them. Two of the firearms were later found in the possession of Chicago gang members, the complaint states.

On January 7, 2016, Salas purchased four handguns from an undercover agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The sale took place in a store parking lot near Salas’ residence in Chicago. He paid $350 for two of the guns, and he agreed to purchase the other pair for $200 and an ounce of marijuana, according to the complaint.

Salas was previously convicted of a felony, the indictment states.

The indictment charges Salas with one count of dealing firearms without a license, and one count of being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. The charge of dealing firearms without a license is punishable by up to five years in prison, while being a felon-in-possession of a firearm carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The indictment was returned on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. An arraignment date in federal court has not yet been set. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Edenfield.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.