Suburban Chicago man sentenced after being found wearing bulletproof vest with loaded gun

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - An Arlington Heights man has been sentenced after he was caught carrying a loaded handgun while wearing a bulletproof vest in a suburban parking garage.

Felony gun sentence

What we know:

Dirk Hugo, 49, received the maximum 15-year sentence allowed under federal law on May 12 after a jury convicted him last year of illegally possessing a gun as a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

Hugo was arrested on May 1, 2024, in a parking garage in northwest suburban Arlington Heights. Prosecutors said he had a loaded handgun tucked into his waistband and was also wearing body armor at the time of his arrest.

Hugo had previously been convicted of several felony gun offenses in state court, making it illegal for him to have a firearm.

Hugo had allegedly been involved in an assault at a Glenview motel the month before his arrest, during which he was accused of striking another man in the head with a gun.

Hugo has remained in federal custody since his arrest.

What they're saying:

"Defendant’s refusal to give up his guns combined with his violent tendencies are a dangerous enough combination; but when defendant’s absolute disdain for the law and his failure to acknowledge his own misconduct is added, it showcases an individual who is an extreme danger to the community," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie C. Stern and Simar Khera argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.