Centreville Assistant Police Chief Indicted

The assistant chief of police for Centreville, Illinois was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 11, 2012, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Corey Allen, 31, was indicted for making false statements to federal law enforcement officers while they investigated whether he sold a gun to a convicted felon.

The indictment alleges that on November 30, 2012, that federal agents interviewed Allen and asked him whether he supplied Individual #1 with a firearm. Allen stated that he did not supply the gun to Individual #1, claiming that he had no idea where Individual #1 had gotten the gun. Allen further stated that prior to October 11, 2012, he had never seen the gun before, when, in truth and in fact, Allen had previously possessed the firearm and had sold the firearm to Individual #1 for $100 on May 3, 2012, knowing that Individual #1 was a felon.

“While it is never pleasant to prosecute a police officer, it is only by holding all law enforcement to the highest standards of conduct that I can assure the citizens of Southern Illinois that they should have confidence and trust in their officers,” noted United States Attorney Wigginton.

The crime of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement officer is punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years’ supervised release upon release from prison. However, the United States Sentencing Guidelines must be applied to the case and considered by the court during sentencing.

The investigation was conducted through the Metro East Public Corruption Task Force by agents from the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, that charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.