Man Sentenced to More Than Six and a Half Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Loaded Firearm During Burglary Attempt in Chicago

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than six and a half years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded firearm while attempting to burglarize a store in Chicago.

NARVEAL RAGGS possessed a loaded handgun in the early morning hours of Nov. 15, 2024, while he and others attempted to break into a store in the 2600 block of North Halsted Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. The handgun had been equipped with a “switch” device, allowing it to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger, essentially turning the firearm into a machine gun.  Chicago Police officers arrived on the scene before Raggs and the others could break into the store.  Raggs took off running and threw the handgun onto the roof of a nearby building before he was apprehended.

A screenshot from the store’s video surveillance footage depicts Narveal Raggs holding a handgun.

Raggs had previously been convicted of several felony offenses, including firearm-related convictions, and was legally prohibited from possessing a gun.

Raggs, 27, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.  On May 5, 2026, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall sentenced Raggs to six years and 8 months in federal prison.

The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Jodrey.