Chicago City Worker Arranged To Sell Machine Gun While On Clock: AG

CHICAGO — A Chicago Streets and Sanitation superintendent who had his mother close a deal on a machine gun with an undercover federal agent while he was on the clock and driving a city vehicle faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted on criminal charges, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said Tuesday.

Charles Sikanich, 38, was charged in Cook County Circuit Court with unlawful possession of a machine gun, unlawful use of weapons, attempted sale of a machine gun and official misconduct, Raoul’s office’s said. Sikanich was ordered held on $100,000 bail, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors allege that while working for the Department of Streets and Sanitation, Sikanich attempted to sell the MP-40 machine gun to an ATF agent who was working undercover. Agents staked out Sikanich as he had arranged to meet with the agent to complete the sale of the gun, prosecutors said.

Time sheets indicate that Sikanich was clocked in at the time and should have been working at his job as a Streets and Sanitation superintendent in Chicago’s 45th Ward, prosecutors said. Sikanich had told the undercover agent that his mother would be completing the transaction so as to not complicate his role as a superintendent, officials said.

“Seeking to illegally sell a dangerous firearm like a machine gun demonstrates at best indifference toward the public’s safety,” Raoul said in a statement. “However, to do so on government time using government property demonstrates a shocking disregard for the people government employees have committed to serve.

“I appreciate the investigative work done by the ATF and City of Chicago Office of Inspector General as we work collaboratively to hold accountable public employees who abuse their authority and the trust taxpayers have placed in them.”