CEDRIC MARKS, Unlawful Possession of Firearm, Illinois 2019

Rockford, IL – In a shocking turn of events, a federal judge has sentenced 35-year-old CEDRIC MARKS to four years and nine months in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded firearm in Rockford.

According to sources, Marks was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over for speeding on September 4, 2019. He was asked to exit the vehicle after the officer detected an odor of marijuana, but instead, he reached for a backpack in the vehicle, ignoring the officer’s request to stop.

Ignoring the officer’s attempts to handcuff him, Marks then ran, dropping the backpack. He was ultimately arrested with a firearm that was loaded with five rounds of .38-caliber ammunition. The backpack contained ammunition, cash, drugs, and drug paraphernalia.

As it turns out, Marks had previously been convicted of a felony and was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm. The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation, and the government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

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