CHICAGO – A Chicago man was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for selling nearly a dozen firearms that had been transported from Indiana to the streets of Chicago.
Terrence Griggs, 36, sold eleven firearms and a bulletproof vest to an individual he believed was a high-ranking member of a Chicago street gang. The weapons included two shotguns, four pistols, three revolvers, and two rifles. Unbeknownst to Griggs, the buyer was an informant who was cooperating with law enforcement officers from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
A federal jury last year convicted Griggs on all four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo imposed a 200-month sentence today in federal court in Chicago.
“The city of Chicago is plagued with gun violence, and many of the guns in that violence are purchased through illegal sales like the ones Griggs orchestrated,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The nature and circumstances of the offense – not only possessing, but trafficking in firearms – are incredibly serious.”
Evidence at trial revealed that in eight separate meetings in the summer of 2011, Griggs personally sold ten firearms and one bulletproof vest to the cooperating informant. Griggs also arranged and facilitated the sale of the eleventh weapon, although he wasn’t present for the sale.
The sentence was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Jeffery Magee, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The government is represented by Ms. Krull and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kartik K. Raman.
Griggs’s actions had serious consequences, putting innocent lives at risk. The sentence handed down today serves as a reminder that those who engage in illegal gun sales will face severe consequences.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons|Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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