(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A Robbins man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking handguns and “switch” devices that can turn some firearms into fully automated weapons.
Thirty-four-year-old Leonard D. Johnson, who also is known as “Scrap,” pleaded guilty in June to one count of unlawfully dealing firearms and one count of illegally possessing a machine gun, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Johnson had been arrested in December 2020 after allegedly supplying four switch devices to someone who later sold them to an informant and an uncover law enforcement officer, authorities said. A search warrant of Johnson’s residence turned up 117 switch devices, a silencer and three handguns that had been converted, among other items, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago said.
Switch devices are also referred to as “Glock switches.”
Authorities said Johnson continued trafficking firearms in 2021, even after he was let out on pre-trial release. He was arrested in Georgia in March 2022, officials said.
U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall imposed the 10-year prison sentence last week.
“Defendant was a prolific machine gun dealer in the Chicago area,” a federal prosecutor said in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Glock switches are a prevalent danger in this community that have no purpose other than to inflict maximum damage on enemies and any innocent bystanders who get caught in the spray of bullets.”
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