DOWNTOWN — A suburban man who illegally brought hundreds of guns from Indiana to some of Chicago's most violence-plagued neighborhoods has been sentenced to nearly 17 years in federal prison, officials announced.
The man, David Lewisbey, 24, during one 48-hour period in April 2012, purchased 43 guns at Indiana gun shows and brought them to now-convicted Englewood gun trafficker Levaine Tanksley, prosecutors said.
Tanksley, 29, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison last month. Prosecutors said he would sell guns from a home in Grand Crossing and a parking lot in Chinatown.
Lewisbey, of South Holland, was convicted of dealing firearms without a federal license, two counts of illegally transporting firearms across state lines, and two counts interstate travel to sell guns without a license. He was sentenced Wednesday in federal court.
“During one of the deadliest years in Chicago’s history, [Lewisbey] was pumping numerous unregistered and untraceable firearms into the most violent neighborhoods in Chicago. The defendant ran his business on the side streets and back alleys of Chicago’s neighborhoods. No background checks, no receipts, no written record,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bethany Biesenthal and Christopher Parente said in a news release.
Between January 2008 and September 2012, Lewisbey, purchased "duffle bags full of guns" at gun shows before being caught in an undercover operation, prosecutors said.
According to the Tribune, Lewisbey went to the University of Kansas on a football scholarship in 2008 but left after one year. He later went to the College of DuPage and the University of Houston.
