East St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty To Firearm And Controlled Substance Offense

On July 24, 2013, Antoine T. Thomas, a thirty-seven year old East St. Louis, Illinois, man pled guilty in federal district court, in East St. Louis, to unlawful possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Thomas is scheduled for sentencing on October 25, 2013, at which at which time he faces a maximum potential sentence of 10 years’ in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, not more than 3 years’ of supervised release after his prison term, and a mandatory special assessment of $100. Thomas also agreed to forfeit the firearms.

Court proceedings revealed that on June 29, 2010, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence in East St. Louis, Illinois. A search of the home led to the seizure of two loaded revolvers, marijuana and three digital scales. Thomas admitted ownership of the two firearms and possessing the marijuana in the residence.

This case resulted from the efforts of the WAVE (Working Against Violent Elements) Task Force, which focuses its efforts on combating violent crime in East St. Louis, Washington Park, and surrounding communities. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak for prosecution.