Venice Man Pleads Guilty To Firearm Offense

On May 2, 2013, Justin J. Harper, a 24-year old Venice, 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. Harper is scheduled for sentencing on August 5, 2013, 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. Harper also agreed to the forfeiture of the firearm.

Court proceedings revealed that on October 5, 2011, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the rear residence of a home in Venice, Illinois. As they entered the residence, Harper was seen exiting a rear bedroom. Upon searching this bedroom, officers observed and recovered a 9mm semi-automatic pistol on the floor protruding from underneath the bed.

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