Crime & Safety
Woman Bought Handguns In Hammond, Gary For Chicago Felon: Feds
A woman has been indicted for 'straw purchasing' guns in Indiana on behalf of a convicted felon in Chicago, authorities said.
CHICAGO — A woman faces federal firearm charges after conspiring to 'straw purchase' handguns in Indiana for a convicted felon in Chicago, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Authorities said Monica Navejar, 31, bought guns from licensed dealers in Indiana and falsely certified on federal forms that she was the actual buyer, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Navejar knew the felon was prohibited from legally purchasing firearms on his own, the indictment states. He directed Navejar to buy certain firearms that he wanted and then provided her with the purchase money, according to the charges.
The two-count indictment charges Navejar with one count of conspiracy to knowingly make false statements and knowingly dispose of a firearm to a convicted felon, and one count of knowingly disposing of a firearm to a convicted felon.
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“Straw purchasers too often play a grave role in enabling the unlawful possession of guns and the senseless shootings that can follow,” said U.S. Attorney John Lausch in a statement.
The indictment describes three handgun purchases in 2015 and 2017 in Hammond and Gary. Authorities said the felon accompanied Navejar to Indiana when one of the purchases was made. The charges also allege that Navejar provided the felon with other guns that Navejar had previously purchased for her own use.
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“It is important that we do whatever we can as a society to make sure that we prevent additional families from losing a loved one because a criminal was able to get their hands on a gun through illegal means - including straw purchases,” Chicago Police Department Supt. Eddie Johnson said in a statement.
The conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison, while the charge of knowingly disposing a firearm to a felon is punishable by up to ten years.
Navejar's arraignment is set for Oct. 16 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez.
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