A man from suburban Chicago has been sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for conspiring with his sister to illegally purchase firearms. Derwin Vazquez, Jr., 26, of Waukegan, Illinois, admitted to working with his sister, Jalissa R. Vazquez, to make false statements to three licensed firearms dealers between 2020 and 2023.
According to prosecutors, Vazquez Jr. often bought firearms online but used his sister’s name as the purchaser. He instructed Jalissa Vazquez to pick up the firearms and falsely certify on federal forms that she was the actual buyer. In other instances, he provided her with cash or directed her to buy firearms on his behalf. Vazquez Jr. also admitted that he intended to unlawfully resell the firearms through Facebook.
Vazquez Jr. pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to provide false and fictitious written statements to federally licensed dealers of firearms. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston handed down the 30-month sentence during a hearing in Rockford federal court.
The announcement was made by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim represented the government in this case.
Jalissa Vazquez, 37, of Garden Prairie, Illinois, also pleaded guilty last year to the same conspiracy charge as her brother and is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Johnston on April 23, 2026.
Officials stated that prosecuting illegal firearm possessors is a key part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at addressing violent crime issues in the Northern District of Illinois with a focus on firearm offenses.
