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

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on February 25, 2011, DARRYL D. ANDERSON, 27, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced in United States District Court, East St. Louis, Illinois, to 120 months' imprisonment, which is the statutory maximum, a $625 fine, and a term of three years' supervised release. The court determined that because of Anderson's criminal history and due to his actions while fleeing from the police, a statutory maximum sentence was appropriate.

United States Attorney Wigginton noted that while the maximum sentence was completely appropriate in this case, he would urge young men in East St. Louis to carefully consider the consequences before they determined to illegally carry a weapon: "Ten years in a federal prison is a long time, and a big portion of your life. If you do not care for yourself, consider the impact your time in jail will have on your family and loved ones."

Anderson had previously pled guilty on November 17, 2010 to an indictment charging him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court documents, the violation occurred on or about March 18, 2010, in St. Clair County, Illinois, when a group of individuals hanging around a known drug house in East St. Louis was approached by the police, and the group ran. While running from the police, Anderson pulled a firearm from his waistband and tossed it. He then continued to ignore the officer's commands, refusing to stop running, then fighting with the officer so that the officer had to use pepper spray in order to get him under control.

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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deirdre A. Durborow.