Two Chicago Men Sentenced to Prison After Coming to Iowa Numerous Times to Acquire Guns

Two men from Chicago were sentenced to prison terms after coming to Iowa to purchase firearms illegally.

Artin Thomas, age 29, from Chicago, Illinois, received a prison term after a November 7, 2022 guilty plea to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.  In a plea agreement, he admitted buying firearms in May, June, and July 2022 in Iowa and lying about his address at each purchase.  He also admitted that he was a marijuana user at the time he purchased the firearms, which he did not disclose at the time of the purchases.  He also admitted that he purchased the guns to resell them.

Thomas was sentenced on April 3, 2023, to 41 months’ imprisonment. 

Javon Jones, age 27, from Chicago Illinois, received a prison term after a November 7, 2022 guilty plea to two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.  In his plea agreement, Jones admitted possessing firearms following felony convictions on two separate dates in July 2022.  Thomas was previously convicted of mob action - fail to withdraw, simple assault, aggravated battery/peace officer, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use or possession of a weapon by a felon, resisting a peace officer/correctional officer/firefighter, and felon in possession or use of a firearm.   

Jones was sentenced on April 11, 2023, to 46 months’ imprisonment.      

Both Thomas and Jones were sentenced by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  They were each ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Thomas and Joes are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-cr-1025.

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