Source: United States Department of Justice News
CHICAGO — A man who illegally possessed a stolen semi-automatic handgun in Chicago has been sentenced to six years in federal prison.
DEANDRE MORRISON illegally possessed the loaded firearm on Nov. 23, 2019. Chicago Police pulled over the vehicle Morrison was driving after a suspected traffic violation in the 7800 block of South Essex Avenue in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. Police discovered the gun wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console of the vehicle. The gun had previously been reported stolen in Indiana.
Morrison, 29, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of illegal firearm possession. Morrison had previously been convicted of multiple state felonies, including a robbery, and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold imposed the federal prison sentence June 16, 2022, after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
“The illegal possession of firearms by felons is a very serious offense that threatens the safety of the public,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Hasten argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Felons who carry loaded firearms will face real consequences — and real punishment — including meaningful time in prison.”