BENTON, Ill. – A U.S. District Court judge in Illinois sentenced a Cahokia man to nearly three years in prison on a federal weapons charge.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois said Tyrone James, 47, was arrested in July 2021 during an investigation into a shooting in East St. Louis.
James was seen on surveillance video with a handgun. Local authorities ultimately determined James was not involved in the shooting. However, officers were given consent to search a motel room that James had been staying in and located a .22 caliber pistol.
During an interview with police, James said he had a prior felony conviction and knew he was not allowed to have a gun.
James pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He received a 33-month sentence, plus three additional years of supervised release.