Indiana man accused of purchasing over two dozen guns illegally for other people

An Indiana man is facing federal charges after investigators say he purchased over two dozen guns illegally for other people,

The United States Department of Justice has charged Darryl Ivery Jr. with making a material false statement in the acquisition of a firearm.

According to charging documents, ATF investigators were looking into straw purchasers (ie. individuals who lie on ATF forms about the legal purchase of their firearm) when Ivery became a person of interest. Investigators say Ivery had made multiple firearms purchases, including several that had been recovered by law enforcement.

The DOJ alleges that between Jan. 7, 2019, and Aug. 10, 2020, Ivery purchased a minimum of 26 firearms from Federal Firearm Licensed dealers in Indiana. Seven of the guns he purchased were recovered by law enforcement, many in Chicago, including one that was recovered at the scene of a shooting.

When purchasing each firearm, investigators say Ivery answered "yes" to the question "Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form?"

According to the DOJ, during his interview with ATF Special Agents, Ivery admitted that all but one of the firearms her purchased were bought for other people who resided in Chicago and had asked him to buy firearms for them. Ivery told investigators he paid in cash for every purchase he made which included at least the following firearms:

"This case demonstrates my office’s commitment to partnering with our neighbors in Chicago to aggressively prosecute those who illegally supply guns to criminals in Indiana and Illinois,” said Thomas L. Kirsch II, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. “My office is committed to reducing gun violence, and the state line will not save criminals from federal investigations and prosecutions.”

Background on Operation Legend from the USDOJ

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 [lnks.gd], 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 was 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.

Since its inception, Operation Legend has yielded more than 2000 local, state, and federal arrests, with more than 592 defendants charged with federal crimes.

Operation Legend was launched in Kansas City, Mo., on July 8, 2020, and expanded to Chicago and Albuquerque on July 22, 2020 [lnks.gd], to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee on July 29, 2020 [lnks.gd], to St. Louis and Memphis on Aug. 6, 2020 [lnks.gd], and to Indianapolis on Aug. 14, 2020 [lnks.gd]. 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.