Chicago Cop Used Status To Buy Guns For Acquaintance Who Smuggled Them To Mexico: U.S. Attorney

CHICAGO — A Chicago Police officer has been indicted on federal firearm charges, accused of conspiring to “straw purchase” firearms for an acquaintance, who then brought the guns to Mexico.

In the fall of 2024, Kevin Rodriguez used his status as a Chicago Police officer to purchase an AR-15-style assault rifle in Dyer, Indiana, and a handgun in Monee, and falsely certified on required forms that he was the actual buyer of the guns, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Rodriguez is alleged to have purchased the guns on behalf of an acquaintance, Diego Valdez, who identified which firearms he wanted and paid Rodriguez to buy them, the indictment states. After falsely completing the forms and making the purchases, Rodriguez provided the firearms to Valdez, who then smuggled them into Mexico, the indictment states.

The indictment charges Rodriguez, 27, of Chicago, with one count of conspiracy, one count of knowingly making false statements in connection with the acquisition of a firearm, and one count of knowingly purchasing a firearm intended for another individual in furtherance of a felony. Valdez, 25, of Chicago, is charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of knowingly receiving a straw purchased firearm. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges during their arraignments earlier this week in federal court in Chicago. A status hearing is set for Oct. 8, before U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr.

The investigation is being conducted in coordination with ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago, a centralized law enforcement hub that focuses exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois. The CGIC is an interagency collaboration that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and intelligence analysts to move quickly to investigate and prosecute violent crimes.