FBI agents executing a search warrant at a South Side home uncovered a cache of firearms, machine gun conversion devices, and suspected narcotics, federal officials said as they charged two Chicago men.
Julian Torres and Brandon Osorio each face one count of illegal machine gun possession in connection with the March 23 raid on a home in the 6800 block of South Claremont Avenue. Prosecutors said Torres and Osorio are members of the 31st and Morgan Satan’s Disciples street gang, which engages in illegal firearms trafficking, drug trafficking, and other criminal activity. The gang used the two men’s residence as a base for those operations, according to the allegations.
According to the complaints, agents encountered a 16-year-old girl at the home who said she had run away from home and had been staying there with someone she met on Facebook who used the name “Smokey.” Agents searched the building and found Torres and Osorio hiding in the attic of the second-floor unit, where members of Torres’ extended family lived, prosecutors said.
Investigators said the majority of the weapons and contraband were recovered from Torres’ bedroom in the first-floor unit. At the foot of his bed, agents allegedly found a duffel bag containing at least 17 polymer machine gun conversion devices, commonly referred to as “switches,” in various styles. Authorities also recovered four handguns, ammunition, firearm accessories, and a plastic bag containing about 30 grams of green pills that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, the complaint said. Torres denied ownership of the pills.
In Osorio’s bedroom, agents allegedly found an additional conversion device on the floor behind a computer desk, along with several pistols and a rifle.
Machine gun conversion devices are illegal under federal law and can convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons.
Following his arrest, Torres told agents he was familiar with the devices and described their function, saying they make firearms go “brrrpp” and are “not semi-automatic” when installed, according to the complaint. Investigators said a review of his phone uncovered text messages in which he discussed purchasing and selling switches, including messages indicating he attempted to sell one for between $250 and $300.
Osorio also acknowledged knowledge of the devices, telling agents he learned about them through YouTube videos and understood how they alter a firearm’s rate of fire, prosecutors said. Authorities said they recovered Snapchat messages linked to Osorio in which he allegedly offered firearms and switches for sale, including a Glock model 27 equipped with a switch listed for $1,100.
If convicted, each faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the machine gun possession charge.
