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Press Release

Man Charged in Federal Court With Illegally Possessing Loaded Handgun in Chicago

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois

CHICAGO — A man has been charged with a federal firearm offense for allegedly illegally possessing a loaded semiautomatic handgun in Chicago this past weekend.

ADAM WALTON was arrested early Monday morning near the 11700 block of South Marshfield Avenue after Chicago Police officers observed him exit a store through a broken window, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  He was later taken into custody while in possession of a loaded semiautomatic handgun and a case of .22-caliber long-rifle ammunition, the complaint states.  A city of Chicago curfew took effect at 9:00 p.m. Sunday, and Walton was arrested more than three hours later.

Walton, 40, of Chicago, is charged with one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  Walton was previously convicted of multiple criminal felonies, including two firearm-related offenses, and was not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm.  An initial appearance in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

The federal charge was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in bringing this charge.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mower.

Holding gun offenders accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Guardian and Project Safe Neighborhoods – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategies.  Project Guardian focuses specifically on investigating, prosecuting, and preventing gun crimes, and it emphasizes the importance of using modern technologies to promote gun crime intelligence.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the Guardian and PSN programs to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, including by prosecuting individuals who illegally possess firearms.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  Illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

Updated June 4, 2020

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Topics
Project Guardian
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Firearms Offenses
Violent Crime