Rock Island Man Sentenced for Possessing Firearm as a Felon

Rock Island, Ill. – Michael Andrew Ford, 22, of Rock Island, Ill., was sentenced today for possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis, Central District of Illinois. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Darrow ordered Young to serve a term of 57 months in federal prison.

Ford entered a plea of guilty on June 16, 2016, to the charge. On Dec. 2, 2015, Rock Island police investigating an apparent drug robbery and shooting sent out an officer safety advisory that Ford and two other individuals might attempt to retaliate against the alleged robber and shooter, an individual residing in Moline, Ill.  A few hours later, during the early morning hours of Dec. 3, 2015, Moline police spotted Ford and the two other individuals and stopped their car. Ford and the others were searched. Ford was carrying a loaded .38 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number.  Ford previously had been convicted of felony offenses by courts in the State of Illinois. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Allegro.  The charges were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Moline Police Department, and the Rock Island Police Department.