A Rockford resident has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm. Wesley Smith, 37, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston sentenced Smith to 77 months in prison.
According to the plea agreement, Smith admitted that on May 2, 2024, he possessed a loaded firearm inside a residence in Rockford.
The sentencing was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and Gary Caruana, Winnebago County Sheriff. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim represented the government.
“Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses,” according to the announcement.
