East St. Louis Man Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Previously Convicted Felon

Dwon L. Lott, 38, of East St. Louis, Ill., was sentenced in United States District Court, East St. Louis, to unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Lott was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release to follow imprisonment, and a $375 fine. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. Lott has been in custody since his arrest on May 25, 2011.

Court documents establish that on July 26, 2010, at 12:50 a.m., law enforcement officers were patrolling the Roosevelt Homes in East St. Louis, and as officers approached Building 1, Lott ran into an apartment leased by his then girlfriend, now wife. Officers went to the front door of the apartment where they were met by the girlfriend who provided written consent to search the apartment. Lott was located in the upstairs master bedroom and was arrested. Located in the top dresser drawer in the master bedroom was a Hi-Point, model C9, 9mm Luger semiautomatic pistol. It had a round in the chamber and four rounds in the magazine. Other items belonging to Lott were in the dresser drawer. Lott was convicted on January 10, 2005, in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, State of Hawaii, of a felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of more than one year. Lott gave voluntary statement following his arrest acknowledging possession of the firearm.

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 East St. Louis Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 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. The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kit R. Morrissey.