Robbins man gets 10 years for trafficking guns and 'switch' devices in Chicago area

ROBBINS, Ill. - A Robbins man who pleaded guilty in June to trafficking handguns across the Chicago area has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Leonard D. Johnson was also accused of dealing "switch" devices — also known as "Glock switches" — which convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns.

In September 2020, officials say Johnson supplied at least four "switch" devices to a person who sold them to an undercover officer. Johnson and the person would then split the money made from the sale.

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Three months later, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Johnson's home in the south suburbs, where they found 117 "switch" devices and three handguns that had been converted into machine guns, officials said.

Officers also discovered another handgun, a silencer, three extended magazines, and ammunition.

Johnson was taken into custody, charged and released while awaiting trial, officials said. He continued to traffic firearms in 2021 and later fled to Georgia where he was arrested in March 2022.

In June 2022, Johnson — also known as "Scrap" — pleaded guilty to unlawfully dealing firearms and possession of a machine gun. The 34-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in prison on August 25, 2022.

"Defendant was a prolific machine gun dealer in the Chicago area," Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Mulaney argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. "Glock switches are a prevalent danger in this community that have no purpose other than to inflict maximum damage on enemies and any innocent bystanders who get caught in the spray of bullets."