Law & Order column: Man faces up to decade in prison for selling 'ghost gun' in Deerfield - Chicago Tribune
A Glenview man could face up to 10 years in prison after being convicted in federal court of selling a “ghost gun” to a convicted felon.
Joseph Ghandour was found guilty by a federal jury in Chicago earlier this month for the illegal sale of the AR-15-style assault rifle in 2017.
The weapon was considered a “ghost gun,” authorities said, because it was built from parts collected from various sources and had no serial number.
Ghandour made the sale in a Deerfield grocery store parking lot to a convicted felon who was working with law enforcement.
The trial was prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice with help from the FBI field office in Chicago. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who presided over the trial, set a June sentencing date.
The DOJ has a cross jurisdictional team that is attempting to reduce gun violence. As part of the Chicago firearms trafficking strike force, the U.S. attorney’s office collaborates with federal, state and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and identify patterns, leads and potential suspects in violent gun crimes, the DOJ said in statement announcing the conviction.
The trial of Melodie Gliniewicz appears headed for a Feb. 22 start after the recent resolution of a last-minute document disagreement, more than five years after she was charged.
Gliniewicz was charged with financial crimes in 2016, several months after her husband, Fox Lake Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz, staged his suicide to make it appear he had been killed in the line of duty.
Joe Gliniewicz, authorities said, had been stealing from a youth law enforcement program he oversaw. His widow is charged with financial crime related to his thefts.
Getting to the eve of trial has been a longtime coming. During the pretrial phase, Judge James Booras ruled that prosecutors could not introduce at trial text messages exchanged by the couple. The Lake County state’s attorney’s office appealed that ruling, which was reversed by the appellate court in 2020.
That returned the case to local court, where things have been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic. Just this month, it appears that a final stumbling, a document fight regarding the 2021 departure of the Fox Lake village administrator who first suspected Joe Gliniewicz, was resolved.
The case is due back in the days ahead. The judge still has to rule on whether to allow cameras in the courtroom for the trial.
The nation’s attention will turn to the Super Bowl Sunday night, but local law enforcement will be keeping an eye out for impaired driving.
Both the sheriff’s office and the Waukegan police said they will have extra patrols this weekend through Monday, checking for seat belt violations, as well as drunk or high driving.
“Many people will consume alcohol while cheering on their favorite team during the Super Bowl,” Sheriff John Idleburg said. “As with any social gathering, it is important to have a plan to get home safely, by a sober driver. Do not risk your life or the lives of others and drive intoxicated or high.”
WPD said there will be increased police presence at several locations this weekend, including: Amstutz Expressway at Grand Avenue ramps; Lewis and Brookside avenues; Dugdale Road at Elmwood Avenue; Sheridan Road at Miraflores Avenue; Butrick Street at Melrose Avenue; and Sheridan Road at Glenflora Avenue
source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/opinion/ct-lns-law-and-order-st-0214-20220211-3zb5vifn7bh57meckf6mdorykm-story.html
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