Mercer County Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Felon in Possession of a Gun

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid today sentenced a rural Mercer County, Ill., man, Steven Austin Adams, 27, to seven years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. Adams was ordered to remain on supervised release for three years following his release from prison. Adams has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since he was arrested in July 2017.

On March 14, 2018, Adams, of Keithsburg, Ill., plead guilty to illegally possessing a Smith and Wesson .45 caliber pistol in March 2016. Adams admitted that he possessed the gun in connection with his drug trafficking activity. Agents seized the gun from Adams’ bedroom where it was located in close proximity to drugs and drug dealing paraphernalia such as scales and baggies. At the time Adams possessed the gun, he had a prior felony conviction for meth conspiracy in 2012 in Mercer County.

The case was investigated by the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Quad Cities Federal Gang Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney John K. Mehochko prosecuted the case in cooperation with the Mercer County State’s Attorney’s Office.