Licensed Gun Dealer in Jersey County Convicted of Knowingly Selling Guns to a Drug User

Jerseyville resident John L. (“Jay”) Jones, II, 33, pled guilty in federal district court this week to selling firearms to someone he knew to be a regular user of cocaine, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. The one-count information charged that in May 2010, Jones sold five firearms to another person, knowing and having reasonable cause to believe that the purchaser was an unlawful user of a controlled substance. The crime is punishable by as much as 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a three-year term of supervised release.

Jones was formerly the operator of Discount House, Inc.—a federal firearms licensee (FFL) in Jersey County, Illinois—and was working in that capacity when he illegally sold the firearms. Jones’ sentencing is currently set for June 28, 2013.

As a result of his conviction and as one of the conditions of his bond, Jones is prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition and can have no involvement in the sale or purchase of firearms or ammunition at Discount House.

This case was investigated by agents of the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, working in concert with agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service and officers of the Jersey County Sheriff’s Department and the Illinois State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Nathan D. Stump is prosecuting the case.