EAST ST. LOUIS MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO THE UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A FIREARM BY A PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED FELON
An East St. Louis man pled guilty on March 23, 2011, for the 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. Shontez Ellis, 36, East St. Louis, Ill.-, faces a term of imprisonment of not more than ten (10) years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release of not more than three (3) years. Ellis also agreed to forfeit the gun that he illegally possessed. Sentencing is scheduled for June 27, 2011, in East St. Louis, Illinois.
The violation occurred on October 4, 2010, when a member of a WAVE detail saw the defendant 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.
The 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. 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 case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.
