Bartlett Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charge

 Posted on January 17, 2013 in Criminal Defense

A 45 year old Bartlett man has received a two year prison sentence after pleading guilty to one count of possession of a firearm without a valid firearm owner’s identification card. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, police arrested Tony Johnson last May when his girlfriend contacted police following an argument between the two of them. She told police that Johnson was hiding a supply of weapons and explosives at a Roselle storefront.

When Bartlett police went to Johnson’s condominium, they found four styles of machine guns, all of which could be converted into fully automatic weapons. One of them, a Colt AR-15, was the same style as rifles used in last year's mass shootings in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn. They also found large containers of chemicals used to make explosives. Roselle police had assistance with the search and investigation from Bartlett police, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents, the Department of Homeland Security and the DuPage County Bomb Squad.

When Johnson was arrested, he was originally charged with four counts of unlawful use of weapons and four counts of failing to possess the FOID card.  He has been held on $750,000 bail since his arrest. According to the law, Johnson must serve at least a year of his sentence before he could be eligible for parole. With credit for time, he could be released in about four months.

If you have been arrested and charged with illegally possessing weapons, you need to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to represent you. Without qualified representation, you could be facing a lengthy prison sentence.