EAST ST. LOUIS MAN SENTENCED FOR FIREARM OFFENSE
An East St. Louis man was sentenced in federal court on June 27, 2011, for Illegal Possession of a Firearm by a Previously Convicted (felon) Person, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Shontez Ellis, 36, East St. Louis, IL, was sentenced to 84 months’ imprisonment, 3 years’ supervised release, fined $500, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. The Court also ordered the forfeiture of the gun Ellis illegally possessed.
“Getting illegal guns off of our streets is not only one of my highest priorities, but is an equally high priority of Attorney General Holder.” said United States Attorney Wigginton. “I am confident that relentless efforts to take guns from the hands of convicted criminals will make all of our communities safer and better.” USA Wigginton added.
The violation occurred on October 4, 2010, when a member of a WAVE detail saw Ellis place what was later determined to be a gun next to a chain link fence in East St. Louis after he and another male saw the members of the WAVE detail.
United States Attorney Wigginton praised the efforts of the WAVE (Working Against Violent Elements) Task Force, which focuses on combating violent crime in East St. Louis, Washington Park, and surrounding communities. WAVE was formed in November 2009, and is a collaboration of law enforcement officers from the Illinois State Police, the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI), the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, the East St. Louis Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service. The WAVE Task Force receives financial support through the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a nationwide federal program which endeavors to address gun-related violence. “The weapon in this case is only one of the hundreds of weapons the WAVE has taken out of the hands of criminals.” noted United States Attorney Wigginton.
The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.
