Bluford Man Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Illegally Possessing Firearm

Craig L. Fenton, 47, of Bluford, Illinois, was sentenced on Friday, November 1, 2013, in United States District Court in Benton to a term of 24 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. Fenton was charged with illegally possessing a loaded .38 caliber revolver in an indictment returned by a Federal Grand Jury on May 9th. That firearm was located in Fenton’s vehicle during a traffic stop by a Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputy on April 2nd. During the stop, the deputy’s K-9 alerted on Fenton’s vehicle indicating that illegal narcotics were inside. A subsequent search revealed the firearm, a quantity of marijuana, drug paraphernalia that field tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine, digital scales, plastic sandwich baggies, and other items consistent with the use and distribution of illegal narcotics. Fenton, who had previously been convicted of two felony offenses which made it illegal under federal law for him to possess firearms or ammunition, pled guilty to the indictment on July 11th.

In addition to the 24 month term in federal prison, Fenton was ordered to pay fines and special assessments totaling $400, placed on a 3 year term of supervised release to follow his incarceration, and ordered to forfeit the .38 caliber revolver to the United States.

Fenton has been held without bond since his arrest on the federal charges and was again remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal to await designation to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.

The case was investigated by the Carmi office of the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James M. Cutchin.