Raytown man charged in Operation LeGend after allegedly selling officer’s stolen gun
An 18-year-old Raytown man faces federal drug trafficking and weapons charges for allegedly selling a handgun stolen from a Grain Valley police officer to a federal undercover agent, according to federal prosecutors.
Antonio Johnson was charged with distributing marijuana and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The two-count federal complaint was filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City on Sept. 3.
The complaint was unsealed and became public after Johnson’s arrest and following his first court appearance Friday.
According to the federal affidavit, the handgun Johnson allegedly sold to an undercover agent had been stolen from the personal vehicle of a Grain Valley police officer in August.
Prosecutors allege Johnson was active on social media, especially on Snapchat, where he allegedly posted videos and photos of himself smoking what appeared to marijuana in addition to handling large amounts of cash and firearms.
Johnson also used Snapchat to sell marijuana and firearms, federal prosecutors alleged.
An undercover federal agent arranged to buy marijuana from Johnson on four separate occasions between July and August 2020, federal authorities said in a press release.
When they met for the first buy, Johnson was allegedly armed with a pistol placed between the driver’s seat and center console of the vehicle he was driving, and a black rifle sitting on the lap of a passenger in the vehicle, according to the federal affidavit.
On Aug. 31, the undercover federal agent contacted Johnson and told him she wanted to purchase a pistol from him, and they agreed on a price of $450.
The following day, Johnson allegedly met the undercover agent at his apartment in Raytown and sold her a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a baggie that contained 29 grams of marijuana for which she paid a total of $680. Johnson allegedly agreed to get her more firearms, prosecutors said
The criminal charges were filed in connection to the ongoing Operation LeGend, an anti-violent crime initiative where hundreds of federal law enforcement agents collaborate with local authorities to curb the surge of crime and gun violence.
The operation has expanded to other cities in the United States and is named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was fatally shot //in late June while sleeping in July at a Kansas City apartment.
Gun violence will be the subject of a new, statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help.
To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.