Missouri Man Sentenced For Firearm Offense

Jeremi J. Blake, 20, of Jennings, Missouri, was sentenced in federal district court on December 20, 2013, to 15 months in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $150 fine, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

Facts presented in court revealed that on or about June 20, 2013, Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI) officers encountered Blake loitering outside a business in East St. Louis, Illinois, wearing a hoodie sweatshirt on a day the temperature exceeded 90 degrees with high humidity, exhibiting suspicious behavior in an area notorious for gun violence and open air drug sales. When Blake was approached by one of the officers and asked if he was armed, Blake responded, “yeah, I got a gun for protection.” A firearm was removed from Blake’s waistband and secured. Blake has a prior felony conviction in Missouri involving unlawful use of a weapon.

This investigation was conducted by Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI). The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Neal C. Hong.