CHICAGO – Anthony Drayton, 37, of Berwyn, will spend the next seven years and three months behind bars after being sentenced Monday for illegally possessing a loaded semi-automatic handgun and terrorizing a family outside a Chicago convenience store. The incident, which occurred on the night of February 27, 2018, in the Austin neighborhood, underscores the ever-present danger posed by repeat offenders and illegal firearms on the city’s streets.
According to court documents, Drayton approached a vehicle and brazenly pointed the handgun at the two occupants in the front seat. A four-year-old child was seated in the back. Only after the victims alerted Drayton to the presence of the child did he lower the weapon and walk away. Chicago Police officers swiftly responded to the scene and apprehended Drayton nearby, preventing a potentially horrific tragedy.
Drayton’s history is a litany of violent offenses. Already a convicted felon—with prior convictions including two shootings—he was on parole at the time of the incident and legally prohibited from possessing any firearm. This wasn’t a first-time mistake; it was a calculated escalation by a man with a demonstrated disregard for public safety. His plea last year to one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon brought him before U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee, who delivered the substantial sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher V. Parente didn’t mince words in his sentencing memorandum, stating that Drayton “is the poster child for why guns in the hands of felons are so dangerous and destructive.” Parente emphasized the need for a strong message: “It is important for everyone in Chicago to know that gun crime will not be tolerated as a norm in this city, and that if someone possesses an illegal firearm there will be consequences and they will be swift and severe.”
The case was spearheaded by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, John R. Lausch, Jr., in conjunction with the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), led by Special Agent-in-Charge Timothy Jones, and the Chicago Police Department, under the leadership of Superintendent Eddie Johnson. This prosecution is a direct component of Project Safe Neighborhoods – a Department of Justice initiative focused on reducing violent crime by holding convicted felons accountable.
Lausch and his team are actively deploying the PSN program across the Northern District of Illinois, targeting a broad range of violent crime issues, with a particular emphasis on prosecuting individuals who illegally possess firearms. Drayton’s sentence serves as a stark warning: in Chicago, and across the nation, those who choose to arm themselves illegally and threaten the lives of others will face the full weight of federal law.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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