Corey A. Brooks, Burglary and Firearm Possession, Illinois 2021

PEORIA, Ill. – A brazen burglary at Pinnacle Gun and Ammo in Peoria, Illinois, led to the arrest and guilty plea of Corey A. Brooks. The 29-year-old man shattered a window at the federal firearms licensee in the early morning hours of July 7, 2021, and made off with two shotguns and 20 handguns.

Surveillance footage and blood drops left behind by Brooks helped identify him and locate the stolen firearms. A photograph was released, and Brooks was arrested the same day. Brooks is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

On March 2, 2022, Brooks pleaded guilty to burglary of a federal firearm licensee and possession of a firearm as a felon. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 29, 2022, at the federal courthouse in Peoria, Illinois. Brooks faces up to 10 years imprisonment for each count, a term of up to three years of supervised release for each count, and a fine of up to $250,000.

If Brooks is determined to be a career offender, the terms of imprisonment could increase. The charges were investigated by the Peoria Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna is representing the government in the prosecution. The case was brought as part of The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative.

The renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: 1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; 2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; 3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and, 4) measure results with the goal to reduce the level of violence in our communities and not to increase the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.

Defendant: Corey A. Brooks

Criminal Charges: Burglary of a federal firearm licensee and possession of a firearm as a felon

City and State: Peoria, Illinois

Date: July 7, 2021 (crime date), March 2, 2022 (plea), June 29, 2022 (sentencing)

Sentence: Up to 10 years imprisonment for each count, a term of up to three years of supervised release for each count, and a fine of up to $250,000

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/peoria-man-pleads-guilty-2021-burglary-pinnacle-gun-and-ammo