Collinsville Man Sentenced for Firearm Offense

Duran L. Morgan, 27, from Collinsville, Illinois, was sentenced on April 12, 2013, in federal district court in East St. Louis, Illinois, on one count of 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.

Morgan was sentenced to 41 months in prison, three years of supervised release, fined $375, and ordered to pay $100 special assessment. Morgan, who previously pled guilty, admitted that a firearm recovered from a parked car belonged to him. Court proceedings revealed that law enforcement officers observed Morgan repeatedly bending towards the center of the front seat while apparently focusing on something under the seat. Upon approaching the car, police noticed a loaded semi-automatic weapon in plain view on the driver’s side floor of the vehicle. Morgan admitted that he had possessed a gun, knowing that he was a convicted felon and that it was illegal for him to have a firearm. The firearm was forfeited as a result of this case.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew H. Brooks.