Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced that his office charged a DuPage County man with multiple felonies stemming from the alleged sale of unserialized firearms and a machine gun conversion device to an undercover investigator.
Attorney General Raoul charged Jeffrey Levander, 43, of Hanover Park, Illinois, with one count of gunrunning, a Class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison; three counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, Class 2 felonies each punishable by up to 14 years in prison; one count of unlawful use of a weapon, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to 14 years in prison; three counts of unlawful sale or delivery of a firearm, Class 4 felonies each punishable by up to three years in prison; one count of unlawful possession of a firearm without a FOID card, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison; and one count of unlawful sale or delivery of an unserialized firearm, a Class 4 felony punishable by up to three years in prison. Levander pleaded not guilty today to all charges, and his next scheduled court date is Jan. 30, 2024.
“Ghost guns allow individuals who are not legally eligible to purchase a firearm to evade our laws and slip under the radar of law enforcement,” Raoul said. “I will continue to partner with federal and state law enforcement entities to work to reduce gun violence across Illinois neighborhoods.”
Raoul’s indictment alleges Levander agreed to sell two unserialized firearms, a machine gun conversion device and a spring-loaded knife to an undercover investigator in three separate sales in suburban Cook and DuPage counties in October and November of 2023. A machine gun conversion device makes a semi-automatic firearm capable of fully-automatic fire. Raoul alleges Levander sold the undercover investigator a Glock 43 model clone for $1,400, a Glock 17 model clone for $2,200 and a machine gun conversion device for Glock platform pistols and spring-loaded knife for $600.
A search warrant was executed at the defendant’s Hanover Park home on Nov. 17 where a similar firearm from the two previous sales, various ammunition and firearm parts were found.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Division, in conjunction with the Hanover Park Police Department, investigated this case.
“Ghost guns and machine conversion devices are dangerous trends that threaten the safety of every community and law enforcement officer,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon of the Chicago Field Division. “ATF agents, alongside our local and state law enforcement partners and the Illinois Attorney General’s office, will continue to prioritize the investigation of these illegally trafficked firearms throughout Illinois.”
“I am extremely pleased with the outcome of this investigation and would like to express my appreciation for the hard work and dedication of our detectives and the ATF agents whose work led to this result,” said Hanover Park Police Chief Andrew Johnson. “We have no tolerance for those who would perpetuate the sale of illegal firearms and conversion devices in our community. I would like to thank Attorney General Raoul and his staff for seeing that appropriate charges were brought in this case in order to bring this individual to justice.”
The public is reminded the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Attorney General Raoul has consistently advocated at the federal and state levels to strengthen regulation of 3D-printed guns and ghost guns. Illinois law now prohibits ghost guns, but the office continues to fight in federal court to help defend a recent rule closing the federal loophole. Additionally, Attorney General Raoul successfully filed and resolved a lawsuit to get the federal firearm license of an unscrupulous arms manufacturer revoked.
Deputy Bureau Chief Andrew Whitfield is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.
