Nine Alleged Members and Leader of Gaylords Faction in Addison Charged with Illegally Possessing or Selling Firearms

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CHICAGO – Nine suburban and Wisconsin residents, including the alleged leader and members of the Almighty Gaylord Nation street gang faction in Addison were charged with federal firearms offenses for allegedly illegally possessing or selling an assortment of guns, federal and local law enforcement officials announced today. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local police ended an 18-month undercover investigation early today when they began arresting the defendants, who were charged in three separate criminal complaints filed yesterday and unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Six additional defendants were arrested on state narcotics or gang charges.

The investigation resulted in the alleged sale of thousands of rounds of ammunition and 11 firearms, including handguns, a shotgun, .22 caliber rifles and an AK-47 assault rifle, to a onetime Gaylords gang member who was cooperating with law enforcement at the time and made audio and video recordings of the transactions and related conversations. Each defendant was charged with either illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, or illegally selling a firearm to the confidential informant (CI), knowing that the CI was a convicted felon.

All nine federal defendants arrested today were scheduled to appear today before Magistrate

Judge Maria Valdez in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The arrests and charges were announced by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Andrew L. Traver, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the ATF. The Addison and Lombard police departments assisted in the investigation, while the following police departments had officers assigned to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) that conducted the investigation: Villa Park, Elmhurst, Bloomingdale, Itasca, Warrenville, Glendale Heights, Downers Grove, West Chicago, and Cook County and Du Page County Sheriff’s Police. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted with the arrests.

According to the charges, in December 2009 ATF began investigating illegal firearm sales and trafficking by James Grace, the alleged leader of the Addison faction of the Gaylords and other members of the Chicago-based street gang. The CI allegedly purchased firearms and ammunition from multiple Gaylords, including Edward Rand and Daniel Springhorn, both of whom allegedly purchased and distributed firearms to Gaylords in the Chicago area. Rand is prohibited from purchasing firearms because of a prior felony conviction, the charges state, but Springhorn is able to purchase firearms because he is not a convicted felon. Springhorn purchased firearms legally at gun shows in Wisconsin for Rand and other gang members who are not legally able to purchase guns. Then, they allegedly distributed those weapons to Gaylords who they know are convicted felons, including the CI.

Agents today executed a search warrant at Springhorn's farm in Sharon, Wis., where they seized numerous firearms that were allegedly stored there for the Gaylords and where the defendants also practiced using them. Additional search warrants were executed at residences in Elmhurst and Lombard.

One complaint charges Springhorn, 56, also known as “Stonegreaser” and “SG,” of Sharon, Wis.; Rand, 46, aka “Pee Wee;” and his wife, Brenda Rand, 46, both of Antioch, Ill. This complaint contains five counts alleging that 1) on Dec. 15, 2010, Rand and Springhorn illegally sold an AK-47 assault rifle to the CI, knowing that the CI was a convicted felon and 2) on Dec. 15, 2010, Rand illegally possessed the assault rifle; 3) on Feb. 18, 2011, Springhorn sold the CI 2,400 rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition for the assault rifle and six 50-round magazines; 4) on June 16, 2011, Edward and Brenda Rand sold a .22 caliber bolt action rifle and a .12 gauge shotgun to the CI, knowing that the CI was a convicted felon; and 5) on June 16, 2011, Edward Rand illegally possessed the rifle and shotgun.

Another complaint also contains five counts charging the following defendants: Grace, 40, aka “Mega,” of Addison; Joseph Kruzel, 42,of Lombard; Sergio Toutges, 39, aka “Little Rat,” of Villa Park; Jennifer Millhorn, 24, also of Villa Park; and Bobby Price, 50, aka “Bear,” of Elmhurst. This complaint charges that: 1) on Jan. 12, 2011, Grace illegally possessed a .38 caliber handgun as a convicted felon; 2) on Jan. 15, 2011, Toutges illegally possessed a .38 caliber handgun as a convicted felon; 3) on Feb. 20, 2011, Millhorn, Grace and Kruzel sold a .38 caliber handgun to the CI, knowing that the CI was a convicted felon; 4) on June 11, 2011, Price and Kruzel sold a .40 caliber handgun to the CI, knowing that the CI was a convicted felon; and 5) on June 27, 2011, Kruzel sold a box of .22 caliber long and short round ammunition to the CI, knowing that the CI was convicted felon.

The third complaint alleges that on April 20, 2011, Christopher Battaglia, 27, aka “Christopher Thonn,” of Addison, was a convicted felon who illegally possessed a .22 caliber bolt action rifle without a serial number, which he sold to the CI.

All of the charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The public is reminded that complaints contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.