The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Devonte T. Franklin, 22, of Washington Park, Illinois, was sentenced in federal district court on Nov. 10, 2015 to 30 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, a $150 fine, and a $100 special assessment, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
Court proceedings revealed that on June 5, 2014, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop and observed the occupants not wearing their seat belts. Officers asked all passengers if guns were in the car, with no response from Franklin, who was in the back seat behind the driver. A search of Franklin subsequently revealed a Tec-22 semi-automatic pistol in Franklin’s front waistband. The firearm was loaded with one round in the chamber and had a large capacity magazine with the ability to hold thirty rounds.
This investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI) and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Drucker.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
