St. Clair County Man Indicted for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

A federal grand jury for the Southern District of Illinois has returned a one count indictment charging Sean M. Hall, 22, of Cahokia, Illinois, with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Steven D. Weinhoeft, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today. According to the indictment, Hall knowingly possessed a 9mm semi-automatic handgun on February 26 of this year after previously sustaining a 2013 felony conviction for cannabis possession.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

The arraignment for Hall will be conducted on April 1, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. at the federal courthouse in East Saint Louis, Illinois. He is currently being held without bond.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address violent crime, the Justice Department announced the reinvigoration of PSN ("PSN 2.0") and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

The investigation of this case was a collaborative effort between the O’Fallon Police Department, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, the Illinois State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexandria M. Burns.