(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A 34-year-old Dolton man is accused of being the prolific straw-purchaser of firearms for another person while falsely certifying he was the actual buyer.
Matthew Jamaal Johnson purchased 27 handguns in 2020 and 2021 at licensed firearm dealers across the Chicago suburbs when, in reality, he was fronting the transactions for another individual, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.
Johnson, who was arrested Tuesday, is charged with 12 counts of making a false and fictitious statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm, federal prosecutors said.
He pleaded not guilty and is expected next in court Feb. 8.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago noted the case is part of a broader, multi-agency effort to disrupt illegal gun trafficking.
“Straw purchasers put guns in the wrong hands,” U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch said in a news release. “Our office will continue to use federal laws to prosecute straw purchasers and hold them accountable for trafficking illegally purchased firearms.”
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