Champaign, Illinois, Gun Offender Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Violating Supervised Release Conditions

PEORIA, Ill. – A Champaign man, Prentiss Jackson, 40, of the 3300 block of Stoneway Court, was sentenced today to 36 months’ imprisonment for violating his conditions of supervised release by possessing a firearm as a felon, along with narcotics. At the time law enforcement agents discovered Jackson with the firearm, he was on supervised release for a 2010 federal narcotics case. The revocation sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid.

At the hearing on the petition to revoke supervised release, the government presented evidence that Jackson illegally possessed the firearm, as well as MDMA (ecstasy) and marijuana. Those actions violated his supervised release conditions, which mandated that he not commit any new crimes. Those who fail to abide by the conditions of supervised release risk penalties for violations, including additional penalties for the commission of new crimes.

Along with the supervised release violation, Jackson was previously charged with possessing a firearm as a felon in a new criminal case. Earlier this week and following Jackson’s guilty plea, U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce sentenced Jackson to 72 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, in that case.

Judge Shadid ordered that 12 months of the 36-month revocation sentence be served consecutively to that 72-month sentence of imprisonment, with the remainder to be served concurrently.

In imposing that sentence, Judge Shadid noted certain mitigating factors but also pointed out that Jackson had only been on supervised release for a short time before his violations.

Jackson faced up to three additional years of imprisonment for violating his supervised release.

The violations in this case were brought to light by the investigative efforts of the Urbana Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Lynch represented the government in the prosecution in cooperation with the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office.