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Houston felon guilty of selling 66 guns, switches to undercover agents

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Published  May 27, 2026 11:13 AM CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 26 Houston

The Brief

    • Jonathan Chimney, 45, was found guilty by a federal judge for operating an unlicensed firearms business and possessing illegal weapons.
    • Chimney and a co-defendant sold 66 firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and machine gun conversion devices to undercover authorities for approximately $41,000.
    • The illegal transactions took place in local apartments with young children, drugs, and several pit bulls.

HOUSTON - Jonathan Chimney from Houston was found guilty on multiple federal charges, including engaging in a firearms business without a license, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and failure to register a firearm.

The 45-year-old was convicted after accepting cash as payment after selling weapons to authorities during an undercover operation from Feb. 10 to July 27, 2022, along with one other partner.

Details revealed during the trial

The backstory:

Chimney and co-defendant James Price took part in eight separate firearms transactions. During their final deal, they both agreed to accept cash and two kilograms of methamphetamine, which they intended to resell for a profit.

They sold a total of 66 firearms and 887 rounds of ammunition for about $41,000.

Chimney was prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition due to a previous federal felony for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to testimony, he sold two pistols with "switches", which are conversion devices that convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machine guns. These weapons are legally classified as machine guns and require strict registration under federal law.

He did not have the required license to deal weapons and did not register the switches as required by law.

Evidence from the trial showed the sales were done inside apartments and at least one has surveillance. Investigators noted that young children were inside the residence alongside firearms, drugs, and several pit bulls.

According to the release, Chimney's defense team argued he could not be held fully responsible because the sales took place in apartments that were not leased in his name. However, the defense could not provide evidence of the actual leaseholder.

What's next:

Chimney remains in federal custody and is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 8. He faces up to five years for the unlicensed weapons dealings charge and up to 10 years per count on the remaining charges, including a possible $250,000 fine.

The Source: Information from this article was provided by a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas

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