Middle Georgia man sentenced to prison for mailing guns to Chicago

Man sentenced to 65 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A Barnesville man with a felony criminal history was sentenced to federal prison for mailing handguns to Chicago.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office Middle District of Georgia , 29-year-old Khalif Lee aka “Killa” was sentenced to serve 65 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell.

Lee previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of illegally mailing a firearm. Lee is not eligible for parole.

According to court documents, United States Postal Service workers found a suspicious package addressed to a location in Chicago at an Atlanta processing and distribution center on December 23, 2022. The package contained four handguns: a Berretta 9mm pistol, a Springfield XD-9 sub-compact 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol and a Hi-Point .40 caliber pistol.

“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. “I want to thank the United States Postal Inspection Service and ATF for their ongoing efforts to intercept firearms before they get into the hands of dangerous individuals and criminal organizations plaguing our communities.”

On December 28, 2022, Lee attempted to mail another package to a different address in Chicago. A federal search warrant was issued, and inspectors found the package contained four firearms.

A forensic examination of both packages contained Lee’s fingerprints, who had a prior felony drug conviction.

Lee pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of illegally mailing a firearm. Lee is not eligible for parole.

Lee was sentenced to serve 65 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell.

“Among ATF’s top priorities is ensuring that firearms traffickers are aggressively investigated and swiftly brought to justice. This is an excellent example of such an investigation that was worked cooperatively by multiple partner agencies with outstanding results,” ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka said.