East St. Louis Man Sentenced For Firearm Offense

James T. Carter, 41, of East Saint Louis, IL, was sentenced on February 14, 2013, in Federal District Court, in East St. Louis, on one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Previously Convicted Felon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

Carter was sentenced to 60 months in prison, three years supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a $200 fine. Carter also agreed to the forfeiture of the firearm. Carter pled guilty on November 8, 2012. The charges stem from a July 12, 2012, incident when two off-duty police officers witnessed a vehicle driven by Carter colliding with another vehicle, in front of a club in Alorton, Illinois. After exiting the vehicle, Carter approached the front passenger side door of the second vehicle occupied by two individuals with a gun in his hand. The officers exited their vehicle to stop Carter, instructing him to lie on the ground. Carter complied and dropped the gun. The officers contained Carter until the local police arrived.

Prior to July 12, 2012, Carter had been convicted of a crime that was punishable by a term of imprisonment of more than one year.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Alorton, IL, Police Department.

This case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak for prosecution.