Indiana Man Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to “Straw Purchase” Firearm Used To Fatally Shoot Chicago Police Officer Ella French

CHICAGO — An Indiana man was sentenced today to two and a half years in federal prison for conspiring to “straw purchase” a handgun that was later used to fatally shoot Chicago Police Officer Ella French and seriously wound her partner.

JAMEL DANZY purchased the semiautomatic handgun at a federal firearms dealer in Hammond, Ind., on March 18, 2021, and falsely certified on the required forms that he was the actual buyer.  Danzy bought the gun at the request of an individual whom Danzy knew resided in Illinois and was not lawfully allowed to purchase a firearm due to a felony criminal conviction.  Danzy provided the firearm to the Illinois resident shortly after the purchase.

Officer French and her partner were shot on Aug. 7, 2021, during a traffic stop of a vehicle on the South Side of Chicago.  The handgun purchased by Danzy was recovered by law enforcement at the scene of the shooting.

Danzy, 30, of Hammond, Ind., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of conspiracy to violate federal firearm laws, including knowingly transferring and giving a firearm to an out-of-state resident, knowingly making a false written statement to acquire a firearm, and knowingly disposing of a firearm to a convicted felon.

U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman imposed the 30-month sentence after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey L. Matthews, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Prashant Kolluri.

“The tragic consequences of August 7, 2021, provide a vivid example of how putting guns into the wrong hands enables the violence that follows,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “The passionate and thoughtful victim impact statements presented at today’s sentencing hearing demonstrate the compelling need for stiff prison sentences to deter this conduct.  Straw purchasing is not a victimless crime.   Deterrence requires enforcement, and our office will continue to use every available federal tool to prosecute straw purchasers and hold them accountable.”

“This tragedy would have been avoided had the defendant not purchased a firearm on behalf of someone who cannot lawfully possess one,” said ATF Acting SAC Matthews.  “Investigating trafficking schemes such as straw purchasing will remain a priority for our agents, who partner every day with the Chicago Police Department to ensure illegal firearms are removed from our community.”

Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is a centerpiece of the Chicago Firearms Trafficking Strike Force, the Department of Justice’s cross-jurisdictional strike force aimed at reducing gun violence.  As part of the Chicago Strike Force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with ATF, CPD, and other 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.