A reputed Chicago gang leader is facing up to 6 1/2 years in federal prison after pleading guilty Thursday to taking target practice at a suburban gun range and then persuading a friend to lie about the incident to a grand jury.
Labar Spann, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, three counts of obstruction of justice, and one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. His plea agreement with prosecutors states that preliminary sentencing guidelines call for 63 to 78 months in prison.
U.S. District Judge John Tharp is scheduled to sentence Spann in September.
Spann, a reputed leader of the Four Corner Hustlers, was charged in 2015 with firing a Glock pistol rented by a friend at Midwest Sporting Goods in the 8500 block of West Plainfield Road in Lyons.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed after his arrest, Spann posted a 15-second video on Instagram depicting two people inside the gun range and the “sound of a gun firing in the background.”
Another short video clip appeared to be taken from inside the gun store at the facility and had a caption that read, “Real boss do this type of (expletive),” the complaint alleged.
Spann was barred from handling a firearm because of his extensive felony background, including convictions for aggravated battery of a police officer, drug offenses, harassment of a witness and armed robbery, prosecutors said.
The woman who rented the gun, Ladonah Hampton, initially told federal agents Spann took part in the target practice and later paid her $60 for his share of the rental cost. But when she appeared before a federal grand jury weeks later, she testified falsely that Spann had never handled the weapon, according to court records.
Investigators later discovered that on the day of Hampton’s grand jury appearance, Spann was chatting on social media with an acquaintance who followed Hampton’s movements in and around the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, according to Spann’s plea.
In one text, Spann told the acquaintance, “Whatever she do just say I don’t touch sh—,” according to the plea.
Days after her testimony, Hampton exchanged text messages with Spann assuring him she never told the grand jury he’d handled the weapon. She also promised to ask her lawyer to get Spann a transcript of her testimony, according to court records.
Hampton pleaded guilty last year to obstructing grand jury proceedings and was placed in a sentencing diversion program, records show.
In addition to his felony convictions, Spann was charged in 2003 with being the alleged mastermind of a plot to kill and rob rival Latin Kings leader Rudy Rangel Jr., an aspiring rapper who was fatally shot in June 2003 at a West Side barbershop.
Spann was acquitted of Rangel’s killing by Criminal Court Judge James Schreier in a bench trial in July 2008, court records show.
