Federal Judge in Chicago Sentences Corrupt Confidential Informant to 13 Years in Prison

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man who cultivated a corrupt relationship with a federal law enforcement agent while trafficking cocaine has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison.

In 2018, GARY HOWARD, 48, of Oak Lawn, Ill., attempted to purchase ten kilograms of cocaine.  Unbeknownst to Howard, the seller was confidentially working on behalf of law enforcement.  When the pair met in the parking lot of a furniture store in Chicago, Howard possessed more than $133,000 in a backpack and offered to buy half of the cocaine. Howard was arrested, and a subsequent search of his residence turned up more than $106,000 in cash, a drug ledger, and a loaded handgun.

At the time of the attempted drug deal, Howard was a registered confidential informant for Homeland Security Investigations and his handler was Special Agent Anthony Sabaini.  Howard and Sabaini had cultivated a corrupt relationship in which Howard paid Sabaini thousands of dollars in exchange for sensitive law enforcement information and protection from other law enforcement agencies.

A federal jury last year convicted Howard of drug conspiracy and attempted drug possession.  On July 2, 2025, U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced Howard to 13 years in federal prison.

Sabaini was convicted in 2023 of illegally structuring financial transactions, concealing material facts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and filing false federal tax returns.  He was sentenced in October 2023 to more than six years in federal prison.

The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA Chicago Field Division.  Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and IRS Criminal Investigation.

“The Sabaini-Howard partnership stained the reputation of HSI and law enforcement at large, as their actions eroded the public trust,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan L. Shih and Jared Hasten argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Corrupt confidential informants and those who work to corrupt federal law enforcement will be held accountable.”