Decatur Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a Felon

PEORIA, Ill. –Deangelo Foster, 24, of the 1300 block of Condit Street in Decatur, Illinois, was sentenced today to 84 months’ imprisonment for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

At the sentencing hearing, the government stated that in February 2021, Peoria police officers in a fully marked police vehicle saw a Jeep Cherokee doing donuts on MacArthur Highway in front of a gas station. When officers tried to stop the Jeep, the driver refused, eventually losing control and almost striking a second vehicle before getting stuck on the median.  Foster was the lone occupant of the car. Officers found a loaded handgun in Foster’s coat pocket. It was later discovered that the gun had been stolen from a Leroy, Illinois, gun store, and the Jeep was stolen in Chicago.

At Foster’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid stated that none of the penalties imposed for Foster’s previous convictions had been successful in deterring his conduct and that all of the factors show that he is not a good candidate for rehabilitation. The judge noted that Foster’s conduct involved driving recklessly in a stolen vehicle, fleeing from the police, crashing the vehicle, and fleeing on foot while in possession of a loaded, stolen handgun.  The judge further noted that the gun Foster possessed had been stolen from a gun store in 2020 and had been used in a shooting in Peoria that same year. In imposing the sentence, the judge commented, “These stolen guns are making their way into the community and being used in shootings.”

“This seven-year sentence demonstrates that people who possess firearms who are legally prohibited from doing so will pay a steep price,” said Acting United States Attorney Douglas J. Quivey.  “Incarcerated federal defendants must serve at least 85% of their sentence. As noted by Judge Shadid, Mr. Foster endangered the public. As a result, he was held accountable for his actions.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Peoria Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.