⏱ 2 min read
Donovan James Cartwright-Nye, a 25-year-old Moline, Illinois man, was sentenced to 96 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. The crime occurred in December 2024, when Cartwright-Nye traded drugs for a firearm with an obliterated serial number in Rock Island, Illinois. The next day, he fired several shots at another person and fled the scene, crashing his vehicle and being apprehended on foot a short time later.
Cartwright-Nye had two prior Illinois state court convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and had been released from the Iowa Department of Corrections just five months before committing this offense. The government argued that a significant sentence was needed to protect the public and deter Cartwright-Nye from committing further crimes.
The case was investigated by the Rock Island Police Department, Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Cartwright-Nye pleaded guilty to the federal charge in August 2025 and was sentenced on May 20, 2026, by United States District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley.
The sentence is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities. The program brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: Illinois
- Location: IL
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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