Rock Island, Ill. – Rodger A. Heaton, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, announced that a federal grand jury today charged Marcus Antonio Kelly, 22, of Rock Island, Illinois, with possession of a firearm by a felon. The indictment alleges that Kelly, also known as “Little Lord,” of the 1400 block of 3rd Street in Rock Island, possessed a HiPoint 9mm pistol on October 13, 2008, in Rock Island. According to the indictment, Kelly has a prior felony conviction in the state of Illinois for obstruction of justice and a prior federal conviction for felon in possession of a firearm.

Kelly was charged in a federal criminal complaint on February 13, 2009. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas J. Shields and was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending a hearing scheduled on February 27, 2009.

The charge is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rock Island Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John K. Mehochko is prosecuting the case under Project Safe Neighborhood with the cooperation of the Rock Island County State’s Attorney’s Office.

If convicted, possession of a firearm by a felon carries a statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.