CHICAGO — Two convicted felons from the Chicago area were sentenced to federal prison terms today for illegally possessing semiautomatic weapons.
THADDEUS JIMENEZ, 38, of Des Plaines, was sentenced to nine years and two months for illegally possessing a loaded .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol. Jimenez admitted in a plea agreement that he used the gun to shoot a man once in each leg. The shooting occurred on Aug. 17, 2015, in the 3500 block of West Belle Plaine Avenue in the Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago.
At the time of the shooting Jimenez was sitting in the driver’s seat of his Mercedes convertible, and in the passenger seat was JOSE ROMAN, 24, of Chicago. Roman was armed with a loaded .22-caliber semiautomatic rifle. After the shooting Jimenez and Roman sped off, but Chicago Police officers apprehended them nearby. The wounded man survived.
Roman was sentenced to seven years and one month for illegally possessing the rifle. Both Jimenez and Roman had previously been convicted of a felony.
U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber imposed the sentences in federal court in Chicago.
The sentencings were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Celinez Nunez, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office provided valuable assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Malizia and Michelle Petersen.