Peoria Felon Sentenced to 40 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Handgun

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Jermaine Harry Bernard Allison, 29, of the 300 block of East Archer Street, was sentenced on July 27, 2023, to 40 months’ imprisonment for possession of a firearm by a felon.  Allison was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government provided information that Allison was a passenger in a car stopped by the Peoria Police Department for a traffic violation. Allison fled the scene of the traffic stop and was arrested a short distance away, following a foot chase by police. Police located several firearms in the car during the traffic stop, including a handgun on the floor directly in front of where Allison had been seated. The gun was loaded with seven rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber. Allison’s fingerprints were found on the handgun.

Allison was indicted and arrested in January 2023 and pled guilty in March 2023. He has remained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service while his case has been pending.

The Peoria Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Allison is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.