Man charged with lying on gun forms

A 23-year-old Hammond man was charged with making false statements in the purchase of 26 firearms for Chicago residents, officials announced Wednesday.

Darryl Ivery Jr. was charged on Aug. 26 following an Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigation into “straw purchasers” or those who lie on ATF Form 4473 about their status as legal purchasers of firearms, according to a statement from the United States Department of Justice.

Ivery became a person of interest based on a large number of firearms he had purchased, some of which had been recovered by law enforcement, according to the statement.

Court records allege that between Jan. 7, 2019, and Aug. 10, 2020, Ivery purchased a minimum of 26 firearms – 9mm, .380, .45, 40 and Glocks – seven of which were taken by various law enforcement agencies, according to the statement.

Specifically, six guns were found in Chicago, one of which was recovered at the scene of a shooting, according to the statement. One gun was found by officers in Midlothian, Illinois, according to the criminal complaint.

He purchased the firearms from Federal Firearm Licensed gun dealers in Indiana, including Cabela’s and Deb’s Gun Range, both located in Hammond, and Westforth Sports Inc., in Gary, according to a criminal complaint.

In an interview with ATF agents, Ivery said that with the exception of one of the firearms he purchased the other firearms for individuals who resided in Chicago who asked him to buy firearms for them.

“Ivery told law enforcement that these individuals asked him to buy firearms for them as he could do so easier as a resident of Indiana, and they paid him in cash for every purchase he made,” according to the complaint.

For each gun Ivery purchased, he marked “yes” to the ATF Form 4473 question “Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms listed on this form?” according to the statement.

“Ivery acknowledged that it was his signature on the forms, and that he had been deceitful when answering ‘yes’ to (the) question as he was actually purchasing the firearms for other people,” according to the complaint.

If Ivery would’ve “answered truthfully,” according to the complaint, the licensed dealers would have denied the sale.

Ivery was charged as part of Operation Legend – named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed June 29 in Kansas City, Missouri.