East St. Louis Man Sentenced for Firearm Offense

On October 28, 2011, Grazino Baker, a 45-year-old East St. Louis, IL, man was sentenced on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm in the District Court in East St. Louis, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Baker was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $250 fine, and a $100 special assessment.

Baker had previously pled guilty. Facts brought out in court showed that on September 27, 2010, while patrolling in East St. Louis, WAVE agents saw Baker scuffling with a man outside of Club Rolex. As WAVE agents approached Baker, he fled into Club Rolex. As agents followed Baker into Club Rolex, they witnessed him attempt to hide a gun. After agents recovered the firearm, Baker was arrested. Baker then admitted to being a convicted felon.

The case resulted from the efforts of the WAVE (Working Against Violent Elements) Task Force, which focuses its efforts on combating violent crime in East St. Louis, Washington Park, and surrounding communities. WAVE 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 WAVE 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.

This case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak for prosecution.