Three Area Men Sentenced To Lengthy Federal Prison Terms Under Project Safe Neighborhoods For Gun Crimes

CHICAGO — Three Chicago area men were sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms after being convicted in three separate cases of federal firearms charges. Each case demonstrates the constant efforts of federal agencies – in these three instances, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – working together with the Chicago Police Department, to investigate and prosecute firearms-related crimes throughout the city.

NORVELL MOORE, 31, and MICHAEL BOBO, 32, both of Chicago, and ARCADIO HERNANDEZ, 42, of Northlake, were sentenced yesterday in three separate cases in U.S. District Court to 20, 15, and 10 years in federal prison, respectively. All three cases fall under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods, and were investigated by the Chicago Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. For more information about PSN Chicago, see www.psnchicago.org.

Details of three cases follow:

• U.S. District Judge John Grady sentenced Moore to 20 years in prison for using a firearm during a crime of violence and for being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Moore was convicted by a jury in July 2012 of illegal possession and use of a firearm on July 14, 2010. Evidence showed that Moore approached a woman who was sitting in her car in the 7200 block of West Foster Avenue in Chicago, placed a firearm to her head, and told her to get out of the car or he would shoot her. When the victim fled from her car, Moore got in and drove away. Chicago police officers, who responded to the carjacking call, quickly found Moore driving on the Kennedy Expressway. Moore sped away, crashed the victim’s car on the Ohio Street ramp, and then ran up the embankment and down a street where he was caught by the police, who later found Moore’s loaded 9mm pistol in the victim’s car. Moore has several prior felony convictions, including robbery, aggravated robbery and gun related offenses. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas.



• U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo sentenced Bobo as an armed career criminal to 15 years in prison for being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Bobo pleaded guilty in October 2012 to illegally possessing a firearm on Nov. 16, 2010. Evidence showed that Bobo kept a loaded .32 caliber revolver in the pocket of his jacket, which was hanging in his closet in his residence in the 500 block of North St. Louis Avenue in Chicago. Chicago police officers executed a court-authorized search warrant at Bobo’s residence and recovered the firearm. Bobo has several prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and other narcotics-related offenses. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tzur.



• U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan sentenced Hernandez to 10 years in prison for being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Hernandez was convicted by a jury in December 2012 for illegally possessing a firearm on Nov. 23, 2010. Evidence showed that Hernandez was walking in an alley near the 1100 block of North Ridgeway Avenue in Chicago, and when he noticed that Chicago police officers were looking at him, he dropped the red plastic bag that he was carrying. The officers found a loaded .38 caliber revolver among the items inside the bag. Hernandez later admitted to the officers that he had just stolen the gun from drug dealers who had previously beat him up. Hernandez has several prior felony convictions, including residential burglary, criminal sex abuse, and drug trafficking offenses. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Owens.

The sentences were announced by Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Larry Ford, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of ATF; and Garry McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.