Middle Georgia Felon Sentenced to Prison for Mailing Guns to Chicago

MACON, Ga. –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, Georgia, 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 on Feb. 7. 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,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “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. This is an excellent example of such an investigation that was worked cooperatively by multiple partner agencies with outstanding results,” said ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.

“This sentence sends a clear message that anyone who decides to maliciously utilize the mail system will be held accountable,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “Postal Inspectors worked jointly with our law enforcement partners to prevent illegal firearms from getting into the hands of individuals that pose a threat to the public.”  

According to court documents, United States Postal Service (USPS) workers found a suspicious package addressed to a location in 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 nonlicensee (an individual or organization not licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) 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, 2023, 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, Georgia, Superior Court. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by bringing together a broad spectrum of stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities; supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place; setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities; and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and ATF.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Daniels prosecuted the case for the Government.