On Oct. 25, 2013, Mautaveus T. Ayers, an 18-year old Cahokia, 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. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2014, at which time he faces a maximum 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.
Court proceedings revealed that on April 17, 2013, a patrolling officer in Cahokia, Illinois, observed a vehicle driven by Ayers commit a traffic violation and fitting the description of a car involved in a shooting earlier that day. The officer activated his lights for the vehicle to stop, but Ayers continued driving. A short chase followed with Ayers eventually stopping in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Ayers attempted to run after exiting the vehicle, but stopped when the officer drew his service weapon, ordering him to stop and lay on the ground. Ayers was placed under arrest. The police car, equipped with an audiovisual dash-camera, recorded Ayers making statements on his cell phone to an unknown individual about his arrest and directing him to retrieve a weapon from his home, and take it to the unknown individual’s residence. Ayers also directed the unknown party to retrieve a firearm he had hidden underneath his sink. Ayers consented to a search of his home the following day, where a shotgun was found underneath his kitchen sink. Ayers has a prior felony conviction in St. Clair County, Illinois.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cahokia Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Neal C. Hong is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
