Rockford Man Sentenced to More than Seven Years in Prison for Firearms Offenses

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm.

MARTEL WILLIAMS, 33, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. Williams admitted in a plea agreement that on Dec. 1, 2023, he possessed a loaded semiautomatic firearm. Williams sold the firearm to a confidential informant.

On Oct. 30, 2025, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston sentenced Williams to 87 months in federal prison.

The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of ATF’s Chicago Field Division.  The Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodora Anderson.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to tackle a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.