Middle Georgia man mailed handguns to a Chicago address. Now he’s heading to prison
A Middle Georgia man with a criminal history has been sentenced to federal prison for mailing packages containing handguns to different addresses in Chicago.
Khalif Lee, also known as “Killa,” 29, of Barnesville, Georgia, was sentenced Feb. 7 to serve 65 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Barnesville is located about 40 miles northwest of Macon.
Lee previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of illegally mailing a firearm. He is not eligible for parole and must serve the entire sentence.
“We have zero tolerance for gun traffickers and will pursue justice in their cases in the Middle District of Georgia,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said.
According to court documents, United States Postal Service (USPS) workers found a suspicious package addressed to a location on the east side of Chicago at an Atlanta processing and distribution center on Dec. 23, 2022.
The package contained four handguns: a Beretta 9mm pistol, a Springfield XD-9 sub-compact 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol and a Hi-Point .40 caliber pistol.
An investigation found that Lee lived at the sender’s address. A non-licensee, an individual or organization not licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to buy or sell firearms, may not transfer a firearm to a non-licensed resident of another state.
In addition, handguns cannot be mailed — a common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun.
Later that month, Lee attempted to mail another package to a different Chicago address.
A federal search warrant was issued, and inspectors found the package contained four firearms: a Taurus 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol, a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol and a Glock .357 caliber pistol.
Lee contacted USPS on Jan. 5, 2023, to inquire about the missing parcel and said that it contained his mother’s personal belongings. A forensic examination of both packages contained Lee’s fingerprints.
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.
