Deshawn Danzler, Possession of Firearm with Switch Device, Illinois 2023

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Chicago Man Sentenced to Eight Years for Possession of Firearm with Switch Device

CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced Deshawn Danzler, 28, of Chicago to eight years in federal prison for possessing a handgun with an extended magazine and a ‘switch’ that converted the firearm into a fully automatic machinegun.

The sentencing was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Eric Carter, Acting Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

According to court documents, Danzler was stopped by Chicago Police Officers in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood of Chicago while driving, and officers recovered a handgun hidden in his crotch. Danzler attempted to flee and struggled with the officers for over two minutes before the firearm was recovered.

Danzler pled guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in October 2022. At the time of his sentencing, Danzler had four previous felonies, including a contempt of court conviction. In 2015, a rival gang member shot Danzler in the head, wrist, and thigh, and killed Danzler’s neighbor. Danzler could identify the shooter but did not cooperate in the police investigation.

A sentence of 62-months was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Durkin on February 24, 2023 for the firearms charge. On April 6, 2023, Danzler was back in court before Judge Ronald A. Guzman for sentencing on his supervised release violation. Judge Guzman sentenced Danzler to 37-months to run consecutive to the sentence given by Judge Durkin, for a total of eight years and three months of imprisonment.

‘Although he was a victim in the 2015 shooting, that is no longer a basis for lenience,’ argued Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Mulaney in the government’s sentencing memo. ‘Rather than find other ways to protect himself, defendant squandered the ‘last chance’ that Judge Guzman gave to him. By carrying a machinegun on supervised release, and resisting the officers’ efforts to recover it safely, defendant demonstrated that he is a danger to the community.’