Middle Georgia felon sentenced to prison for mailing guns to Chicago

MACON – A middle Georgia resident with a felony criminal history was sentenced to federal prison for mailing packages containing handguns to different addresses in the East Side of Chicago.

Khalif Lee, aka “Killa,” 29, of Barnesville, was sentenced to serve 65 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell. Lee previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of illegally mailing a firearm. Lee is not eligible for parole.

“We have zero tolerance for gun traffickers and will pursue justice in their cases in the Middle District of Georgia,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a news release. “I want to thank the United States Postal Inspection Service and ATF for their ongoing efforts to intercept firearms before they get into the hands of dangerous individuals and criminal organizations plaguing our communities.”

“Among ATF’s top priorities is ensuring that firearms traffickers are aggressively investigated and swiftly brought to justice,” ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka said. This is an excellent example of such an investigation that was worked cooperatively by multiple partner agencies with outstanding results.”

According to court documents, United States Postal Service workers found a suspicious package addressed to a location on the East Side of Chicago at an Atlanta processing and distribution center on Dec. 23, 2022. The package contained four handguns: a Berretta 9mm pistol, a Springfield XD-9 sub-compact 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol and a Hi-Point .40 caliber pistol.

An investigation found that Lee lived at the sender’s address. A non-licensee (an individual or organization not licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to buy or sell firearms) may not transfer a firearm to a non-licensed resident of another state. In addition, handguns are not mailable, but a common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun.

On Dec. 28, 2022, Lee attempted to mail another package to a different address in the East Side of Chicago. A federal search warrant was issued, and inspectors found the package contained four firearms: a Taurus 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol, a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol and a Glock .357 caliber pistol.

Lee contacted USPS on Jan. 5 to inquire about the missing parcel and said that it contained his mother’s personal belongings. A forensic examination of both packages contained Lee’s fingerprints. Lee has a prior felony drug conviction in Gwinnett County Superior Court. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. It was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Daniels prosecuted the case for the government.

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