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Press Release

Alton Man Pleads Guilty To Firearm Offense

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Illinois

On July 10, 2013, Robert L. Jones, a 29-year old Alton, Illinois, man pled guilty in federal district court, in East St. Louis, to 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. Jones is scheduled for sentencing on October 11, 2013, at which at which time he faces a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, not more than 3 years of supervised release after his prison term, and a mandatory special assessment of $100. Jones agreed to forfeiture of the firearm.

Facts presented in court revealed that on September 14, 2012, a law enforcement officer in Alton, Illinois, observed individuals sitting in a parked vehicle at an apartment building close to midnight. The officer approached the vehicle, knocking on the driver’s door. As the driver opened his door, the officer spotted a clear plastic baggie containing 5.4 grams crack cocaine on the driver’s lap. A semi-automatic handgun was recovered from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The driver admitted to the firearm belonging to him. Prior to this incident, Jones had been convicted of a crime that was punishable by a term of imprisonment of more than one year.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alton Police Department. This case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak for prosecution.

Updated February 19, 2015