CHICAGO, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A man who allegedly made money buying guns in Indiana and selling them to Chicago street gangs says he was only a drug dealer.
David "Big Dave" Lewisbey testified Monday and Tuesday at his trial in federal court in Chicago, the Chicago Sun Times reported. He admitted having a lot of income beyond his paycheck from a part-time job at Home Depot but called himself a "gun collector" who did not traffic in weapons.
"I made nearly all my money selling weed," Lewisbey said. "I'm a gun collector."
Prosecutors say Lewisbey, 23, who attended high school in the Chicago area but has lived in various states since then, bought weapons at gun shows in Indiana, where no background check is required for private sales. Authorities allege he sold dozens of them for tens of thousands of dollars to violent gangs.
Under cross-examination, Lewisbey told Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Parente he hid much of his drug profits by burying it. He agreed when Parente asked him: "Like a pirate?"
