Kankakee Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Gun Possession

URBANA, Ill. - A Kankakee, Ill., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. On July 24, U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce sentenced Brandon Shoffner to 84 months (7 years) in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Shoffner, 29, of the 700 block of Hammes Ave., has been in law enforcement custody since his arrest on Aug. 13, 2016. Judge Bruce found that during his arrest, Shoffner struck an officer, a factor the court accepted to increase Shoffner’s sentencing guidelines.

On Feb. 24, 2017, Shoffner pled guilty to the indictment which charged him with possession of a SAR Arms 9mm handgun. At the time Shoffner possessed the gun, in August 2016, he had prior felony convictions in Kankakee County.

The case was investigated by the Kankakee Area Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan D. Freres.