A North Chicago man was employed as a gun violence prevention “peacemaker” in Lake County while he sold nearly 2,000 deadly fentanyl pills in the county and received a government-funded salary.
The Lake County Peacemakers hired Alfredo E. Rollins, 47, of North Chicago, on July 10, 2023.
He was hired as one of 15 community violence outreach workers, who work with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office under the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative (GVPI).
The state’s attorney’s office’s GVPI program was founded in late 2022 and consists of several components that aim to reduce gun violence and save lives.
The Waukegan Township provides the community violence intervention component by serving as the fiscal recipient of grants for the Lake County Peacemakers.
The structure is meant to avoid conflict of interest and allows the peacemakers to work with high-risk individuals while maintaining credibility as trusted messengers within the community, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Group (SIG) began investigating Rollins in 2024 after detectives received information that he was selling fentanyl-laced heroin in Lake County.
The SIG worked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Division to conduct the investigation and set up an undercover operation, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
They purchased more than 115 grams of a powder substance containing fentanyl and nearly 2,000 pills containing fentanyl from Rollins, Covelli said.
Just over five months after Rollins was hired as a peacemaker, court documents said he sold a substance containing fentanyl on January 16, 2024, in North Chicago.
Rollins sold a substance containing fentanyl on six more occasions after that — January 25, 2024, in North Chicago; February 8, 2024, in Waukegan; February 26, 2024, in North Chicago; March 28, 2024, in North Chicago; April 24, 2024, in North Chicago; and July 9, 2024, in Waukegan.
Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg called Rollins a “dangerous offender” who was selling a “deadly drug” in Lake County as he lauded the investigative work of SIG, which is comprised of federal and local law enforcement.
The drug sales occurred over the span of at least seven months while Rollins continued to be employed as a peacemaker in Lake County.
While Rollins sold drugs as early as January 2024 until July 2024 in the undercover operation, he was not charged until late May 2025.
Covelli said the investigation shifted its focus to the source of the drugs and the case was not screened for charges until detectives concluded the investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviewed the case, which took some time, Covelli said. A federal grand jury indicted Rollins on seven counts of selling or distributing a controlled substance on May 20, 2025.
An arrest warrant was issued for Rollins and he was taken into federal custody on June 2 following a traffic stop in North Chicago for driving on a revoked license.
A search of his residence revealed more than two pounds of cannabis, Covelli said.
Federal prosecutors did not seek his detainment pending trial and he was released with pre-trial conditions on June 3, court records show.
Rollins was fired by the Lake County Peacemakers on June 3 — the same day he appeared in court.
“We agree with the decision to terminate his employment because his crime is inconsistent with public service, the work of the Peacemakers, and the community violence intervention (CVI) field,” the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office told Lake and McHenry County Scanner in a statement.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart was informed by law enforcement on June 2 of the federal arrest warrant.
“No one at the State’s Attorney’s Office was aware of the federal investigation until the morning of June 2, 2025. The federal warrant that led to his conviction was sealed by order of federal court at all times prior to June 2, 2025,” Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Director of Communications Sara Avalos said.
Rollins pleaded guilty on December 16 to distribution of more than 40 grams of fentanyl and was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
ATF Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Amon said fentanyl poses a “grave threat” to our society.
“Each trafficker arrested reduces the threat to the communities we are sworn to protect. ATF remains firmly committed to partnering with the Lake County SIG and our federal partners to continue disrupting firearm trafficking networks, the distribution of fentanyl, as well as other dangerous drugs within our communities,” Amon said.
Court records show Rollins also has numerous felony convictions in Lake County, including one for committing a shooting in North Chicago in 2007 in which a 23-year-old woman was fatally shot.
“Mr. Rollin’s crime is deeply disappointing to everyone who has dedicated themselves to reducing gun violence, and his federal prison sentence is warranted. But we should not let the actions of one individual overshadow the life-saving work and proven impact of the Peacemaker team that is actively reducing gun violence,” the state’s attorney’s office said in the statement this week.
The state’s attorney’s office lauded community violence intervention (CVI) work and said on a national level that it has reduced gun violence by up to 60% in jurisdictions where it has been used.
CVI focuses on interrupting cycles of violence by building trust with the community, mediating disputes, preventing retaliation and engaging with those most at risk of involvement with gun violence.
“The effectiveness of this work depends on lived experience, which can include overcoming significant personal challenges. Just as individuals in AA or NA may relapse, or a doctor may commit malpractice, these incidents, while serious, do not define the entire field of work and should not overshadow the successes of the GVPI or the Peacemakers,” the state’s attorney’s office said.
The office said that firearm homicides have dropped 74%, from 23 homicides to six homicides, between the end of 2022 and the end of 2025 in Waukegan, North Chicago and Zion.
Non-fatal shootings dropped 75%, from 102 to 26, in the same area between the end of 2022 and the end of November 2025, the state’s attorney’s office added.