East St. Louis Man Sentenced for Firearm Offense

James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on March 10, 2016, Anthony M. Williams, 33, East St. Louis, IL, was sentenced for the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Previously Convicted Felon. Williams received 24 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. Williams also agreed to forfeit the illegal firearm that he possessed.

The charge arose on April 10, 2015, when Illinois State Police officers attempted to stop Williams in East St. Louis, Illinois, for traffic violations. Williams did not immediately stop and, as he continued driving, an officer saw him throw something out of the passenger side window. When officers went to the area where they had seen the object thrown, they recovered a FEG, .9mm pistol. Further investigation revealed that Williams had previously been convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon in St. Clair County in 2009.

The case was investigated by the Illinois State Police and assigned to Assistant United States Attorneys Don Boyce and Angela Scott for prosecution.