Washington Park Man Sentenced on Firearm Offense Following Investigation by W.A.V.E. Detail

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on August 18, 2010, LEWANN YATES, age 32, of Washington Park, Illinois, was sentenced in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois. YATES was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release. YATES was also ordered to pay a $375 fine, a $100 special assessment, and to forfeit guns and bullet proof vest involved in the offense. YATES pled guilty on May 12, 2010, to felon in possession of a firearm.

Parole has been abolished in the federal system. While inmates may earn time off for good behavior, they nevertheless must generally serve at least 85 percent of their sentences.

The case resulted from the efforts of the W.A.V.E. (Working Against Violent Elements) Task Force, which focuses its efforts on combating violent crime in East St. Louis, Washington Park, and surrounding communities. W.A.V.E. was formed in November, 2009, and is a collaboration of law enforcement officers from the Illinois State Police, the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI), the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, the East St. Louis Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service. The W.A.V.E. Task Force receives financial support through the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a nationwide federal program which endeavors to address gun-related violence.

The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Deirdre Durborow for prosecution.