Midlothian Man, 27, Had Illegal Machine Gun: Feds

CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a Midlothian man on firearm charges for illegally possessing a machine gun in a south suburb.

Kevin Dixon, 27, was found guilty on April 19 of both counts against him, including one count of illegal possession of a machine gun and one count of illegal possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Each count is punishable by a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Dixon is set for sentencing on Sept. 10.

Evidence at the week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago revealed that Dixon illegally possessed the firearm on June 6, 2021, in his vehicle in Lansing, Ill. The firearm was a Glock handgun equipped with a “switch” device, also known as a “Glock switch,” making it capable of firing in fully automatic mode, prosecutors said. Dixon initially crashed his vehicle into another car and then sped off. The victim followed Dixon, and eventually was able to block Dixon’s vehicle, at which point Dixon fired several gunshots and then drove off again. Dixon then sped through a red light and collided with two vehicles before fleeing on foot. He was taken into custody a short time later, according to prosecutors.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.