Springfield, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 180 Months for Possessing Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute It

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Jeremy Mitchell, 34, was sentenced on September 8, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless to 180 months in prison for possessing a substance containing fentanyl with intent to distribute it. He was also ordered to serve eight years of supervised release.

Mitchell was indicted in May 2021 and pleaded guilty in April 2023. He has been in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest in April 2021. Mitchell has numerous drug-related prior convictions, as well as a prior conviction for aggravated battery with a firearm.

The statutory penalties for possessing a substance containing fentanyl with intent to distribute are up to life imprisonment, up to an $8,000,000 fine, and up to a life term of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Springfield Police Department, Illinois State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Mitchell is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.