A federal judge has sentenced 26-year-old Charles Jackson of Rockford to eight years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm. Jackson earlier pleaded guilty to the charge of illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. The sentence was passed by U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston during a hearing held on Friday at the federal court in Rockford.
During the plea agreement, Jackson admitted that in May 2022, while evading capture by the Rockford Police Department, he was in possession of a modified handgun. The weapon was loaded with 25 rounds of ammunition, including one in the chamber. As a felon, federal law prohibited him from possessing a firearm.
Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, announced the sentence. The government's case was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodora Anderson.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners are utilizing PSN to address various violent crime issues, with a particular focus on firearm offenses.