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Felon Sentenced to 28 Months for Machine Gun Possession in Chicago

Antonio Lukes, 40, of Chicago, was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a handgun equipped with a Glock switch.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 25, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET
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A Chicago felon has been to more than two years in federal prison for illegally possessing a machine gun, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois. The sentence was announced on Aug. 24, 2026, 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 & Explosives. On Sept. 12, 2025, Antonio Lukes, 40, possessed a handgun equipped with a “Glock switch” conversion device that made the firearm capable of firing in fully automatic mode. Lukes was standing next to an empty vehicle near Jackson Boulevard and Western Avenue on the West Side of Chicago with the firearm concealed in his waistband. As Chicago Police officers drove by, the firearm fell to his feet. Lukes ran but was arrested after a brief chase. Lukes had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses and was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. On Aug. 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman Lukes to 28 months in federal prison. The investigation was conducted in coordination with ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago. “Defendant’s crime is a serious one,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Skiba argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The Glock that defendant possessed that night was no ordinary firearm. The switch made a dangerous weapon even more dangerous still.”

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  1. Version 125 Aug 2026, 17:00current

    First published.

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