A Chicago man has been sentenced to 55 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a loaded handgun in a residence on the Near West Side where several children were present.
According to court records, Brandon Johnson, 37, was found with the firearm on January 25, 2020. Police responded to the scene after receiving a call from an individual who alleged that Johnson had threatened them with the gun. At the time of the incident, Johnson was prohibited from possessing firearms due to previous felony convictions.
Johnson entered a guilty plea earlier this year to a federal firearm charge. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey handed down the sentence on August 13, 2025. Johnson has been in law enforcement custody since December 2020 and will receive credit for time served.
The sentencing announcement came from Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher C. Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The Chicago Police Department also assisted in the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Prashant Kolluri stated in the government’s sentencing memorandum: “The City of Chicago has been plagued by gun violence for many years. The possession of a loaded firearm is a significant contributor to that gun violence.”
