Bloomington Felon Sentenced to Thirty-Six Months in Prison for Possession of Firearms and Distributing Cocaine

PEORIA, Ill. – A Bloomington, Illinois man, Dandre Antwan Williams, 36, of the 1200 block of Orchard Road, was sentenced on August 7, 2025, to 36 months’ imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and the distribution of cocaine.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, the government provided information that in April 2024, Williams possessed and sold a Russian firearm, a Taurus .38 firearm loaded with 4 rounds of special ammunition, and 48.6 grams of cocaine. As a convicted felon, Williams was prohibited from possessing firearms. During the hearing, Judge Hawley also found that one of the firearms had a defaced serial number.

Williams was indicted in October 2024 and pled guilty in March 2025. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest in October 2024.

The statutory penalties for a felon in possession of a firearm are, not more than 15 years imprisonment, up to 3 years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine. The statutory penalties for distribution of cocaine are not more than 30 years imprisonment, up to 6 years of supervised release, and up to a $2,000,000 fine.

The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Williams is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.