Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced an Elgin, Illinois man was sentenced to prison for his role in a straw purchasing scheme.
Tommy Murphy, 28, was sentenced today by DuPage County Circuit Judge Michael Reidy to six years in prison for the Class 1 felony offense of unlawful purchase of a firearm. Raoul charged Murphy in March of 2021 after a joint investigation with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Chicago Field Division (ATF) and the Aurora Police Department uncovered Murphy’s scheme facilitating firearm purchases for individuals who were unable to legally buy firearms themselves.
“Selling firearms to individuals not legally able to obtain them is not only against the law but also fuels the cycle of gun violence affecting neighborhoods across Illinois,” Raoul said. “Partnerships between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are critical to our work to protect communities from gun violence.”
Raoul alleged that between May 6 and May 8, 2019, Murphy and a co-conspirator, Kimani Mobley, 26, of Chicago, met with undercover agents in the parking lot of a DuPage County gun store to arrange a firearm straw purchase. Murphy collected a payment from the agents to cover the cost of purchasing a firearm, as well as a profit, then passed the money along to Mobley – who possessed a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. Murphy directed Mobley to use the extra money to buy Murphy a firearm. While in the store, Mobley allegedly selected two firearms he said he was buying for himself, paid in cash, and filled out the necessary background check and forms, falsely verifying that he was purchasing the guns for himself.
Raoul alleged Mobley later contacted the store and requested a refund following a delay in the processing of the background check. Mobley later was informed that the Illinois State Police had declined his purchase due to a pending court case. Raoul also alleged that again in May, Murphy met one of the undercover agents in Kane County and sold a .45 caliber pistol and 21 Xanax for $1,600.
Arrest warrants were issued for Murphy and Mobley in November 2020. Mobley surrendered to the DuPage County Sheriff’s office in December of 2020 and Murphy was arrested in and extradited from Maricopa County, Arizona in February of 2021. Mobley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit the unlawful purchase of firearms and was sentenced to 30 months of probation.
Assistant Attorney General Andrew Whitfield prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.
