Washington Park Man Sentenced For Firearm Offense

Joshua Hamilton, 28, from Washington Park, IL, was sentenced on February 8, 2013, in District Court in East St. Louis, IL, on one count of 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.

Hamilton was sentenced to 27 months in prison, three years of supervised release, fined $250 and ordered to pay $100 special assessment. Hamilton, who previously pled guilty, admitted on November 29, 2011, that a firearm recovered from a law enforcement operation involving a vehicle search in which he was a passenger belonged to him. Prior to November 29, 2011, Hamilton had been convicted of a crime that was punishable by a term of imprisonment of more than one year.

The investigation was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Illinois State Police. The case resulted from the efforts of the WAVE (Working Against Violent Elements) Task Force, which focuses its efforts on combating violent crime in East St. Louis, Washington Park, and surrounding communities. The WAVE Task Force receives financial support through the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a nationwide federal program which endeavors to address gun-related violence.

This was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew H. Brooks.