An East St. Louis man pled guilty in federal district court on Jan. 16, 2013, to an Indictment charging him with the 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.
Travis D. Summerville, 33, East St. Louis, IL, faces a term of in prison of not more than ten (10) years, a fine up to $250,000, or both, and a term of supervised release of not more than three (3) years when he is sentenced on April 26, 2013. Summerville also agreed to forfeit the firearm he illegally possessed.
The violation occurred on Dec. 13, 2010, when members of the Working Against Violent Elements (WAVE) Task Force went to Summerville’s home to investigate an anonymous tip that drugs were being sold and that firearms were also present. Officers obtained a state search warrant for the home and recovered a 9mm semi-automatic firearm hidden in the basement ceiling next to a bag of suspected marihuana. 9mm shells and additional marihuana were found in Summerville’s bedroom. Summerville admitted possession of the gun in a voluntary statement to law enforcement officers, stating that he bought the gun “off the street" for $70. He also admitted that he hid the gun, along with some marihuana, in the basement of the residence. Finally, Summerville admitted knowing that he could not legally possess a firearm because of a previous felony conviction.
The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
