Alan Andrew Collins, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Illinois 2024

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Alan Andrew Collins, 39, of the 800 block of West MacQueen Avenue, was sentenced to 55 months in prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm in a federal case in the Central District of Illinois.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid at a hearing in Peoria. According to court documents, Collins has previously been convicted of felony offenses in 2004 and 2005 in Cook County, as well as two prior federal convictions for possession of a firearm in the Central District of Illinois in 2008 and 2014.

On November 2022, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Peoria Police executed a federal search warrant at Collins' residence on MacQueen Avenue. During the search, agents located a loaded semi-automatic 9mm pistol on the nightstand next to Collins' bed. The gun was loaded with a 16 round magazine and live ammunition, including a round in the chamber.

Police also located a 9mm 30-round extended magazine loaded with live ammunition, an ammunition speed loader, and additional rounds of ammunition. Collins admitted that his fingerprints and DNA would be on the gun because he had handled it, but disclaimed ownership of the gun, claiming his girlfriend had bought it and left it at his house.

Collins was arrested in November 2022 following a federal complaint and was indicted by a federal grand jury two weeks later. He entered a guilty plea in February 2024 and has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.

The statutory penalties for a felon in possession of a firearm are up to 15 years imprisonment; up to 3 years of supervised release; and a fine of up to $250,000.00.

The case against Collins 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.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/felon-sentenced-third-time-federal-prison-possession-firearm