The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced on May 13 that a man has been charged with illegally possessing a loaded firearm in the Dirksen Federal Building, located in downtown Chicago.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, James C. Lake, Jr., was found with a loaded semiautomatic handgun on Monday morning in the lobby of the Dirksen Building at 219 S. Dearborn St., which houses several federal courts and government agencies.
The complaint states that around 7:40 a.m., Lake approached Court Security Officers and placed his bookbag onto the magnetometer conveyor belt, informing officers he had a gun and “other stuff” inside. Officers searched the bag and discovered not only the loaded gun but also a box cutter, jackknife, and 23 live rounds of ammunition.
An inspector from the U.S. Marshals Service took Lake into custody after seizing these items. Authorities said Lake had previously been convicted of a federal felony and was legally prohibited from possessing any firearms.
Lake, who is 53 years old and from Chicago, has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. He made an initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday where he was ordered to remain detained pending further proceedings.
Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and LaDon Reynolds, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois announced these charges together. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alec Smith is representing the government in this case.
Officials reminded members of the public that “a complaint is not evidence of guilt” and emphasized that “the defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
