United States v. Sarraj

HAMILTON, Circuit Judge.

Defendant Khalil Sarraj sought to buy guns in Illinois, allegedly for personal protection, after he was assaulted during a dispute with criminal associates. Unluckily for Sarraj, the person he asked for help acquiring guns was a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. After determining that Sarraj was a convicted felon, federal agents sold him two handguns, both manufactured outside the state of Illinois, in a “reverse sting” operation, one in which agents posed as sellers rather than buyers of contraband. Sarraj pled guilty…