Operation Legend: Case of the Day

Each weekday, the Department of Justice will highlight a case that has resulted from Operation Legend.  Today’s case is out of the Northern District of Illinois.  Operation Legend launched in Chicago on July 22, 2020, in response to the city facing increased homicide and non-fatal shooting rates.

An Indiana man has been charged with a federal firearm offense for allegedly illegally selling dozens of handguns and assault rifles in the Chicago area.

Wayne Adam Tucker, 55, of Albion, IN, was charged with one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.  According to the charging document, Tucker sold 39 guns on four occasions from April 2019 to February 2020.  Three of the alleged sales occurred in south suburban Dolton, while one deal was allegedly conducted in Hammond, IN.  Unbeknownst to Tucker, the buyer in all of the deals was confidentially working on behalf of law enforcement, the complaint states.

It is alleged that Tucker carried out the four unlicensed sales of firearms to the confidential source on April 28, 2019, Aug. 17, 2019, Nov. 16, 2019, and Feb. 8, 2020.  In setting up the deals, Tucker allegedly explained to the confidential source that he had several people supplying him with firearms that had been purchased at gun shows in Indiana.

The drug charge accuses Tucker of selling approximately a pound of marijuana to the confidential source during the February transaction.

The details contained in the charging document are all allegations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Background on Operation Legend

Since its inception, Operation Legend has yielded more than 3,500 local, state, and federal arrests, with more than 800 defendants charged with federal crimes.

President Trump promised to assist America’s cities that have been plagued by violence.  In July, Attorney General William P. Barr announced the launch of Operation Legend, a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative across all federal law enforcement agencies working in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime in cities across America that were experiencing an uptick in violence.  Operation Legend is named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed on June 29th in Kansas City, Missouri, while asleep in his home.

Operation Legend was launched in Kansas City, Mo., on July 8, 2020, and expanded to Chicago and Albuquerque on July 22, 2020; to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee on July 29, 2020; to St. Louis and Memphis on Aug. 6, 2020; and to Indianapolis on Aug. 14, 2020.  As part of Operation Legend, Attorney General Barr has directed federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA and ATF to surge resources to these cities to help state and local officials fighting violent crime.  The Department of Homeland Security is also contributing agents to these efforts in St. Louis.