Isaah Washington, Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, Illinois 2021

A Springfield, Illinois man has been sentenced to 84 months in prison for his involvement in a firearms-related crime. Isaah Washington, 33, of the 900 block of South 17th Street in Springfield, Illinois, was found guilty of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

The crime took place on an unspecified date in 2021. Washington was on supervised release at the time, having previously served a federal prison sentence for a similar offense. In an attempt to flee from a Springfield Police Officer during a traffic stop, Washington was found carrying a stolen firearm loaded with an extended magazine containing 19 rounds of ammunition.

Washington pleaded guilty to the charges in October of 2021. The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person include not more than 10 years of imprisonment, not more than a $250,000 fine, not more than 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment.

The investigation into the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Springfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.

Washington's sentence includes 63 months for the possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, as well as an additional 21-month sentence for violating the terms of his supervised release. The sentences are to be served consecutively, resulting in a total of 84 months in prison.

According to the Department of Justice's recent commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods, efforts to reduce violent crime should focus on building trust and legitimacy within communities, investing in community-based prevention and intervention programs, targeting enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime, and measuring results with the goal of reducing the level of violence in our communities.

Defendant Information:

Defendant: Isaah Washington

Exact Charges: Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person

City and State: Springfield, Illinois

Exact Date: February 2021 (indicted) and October 2021 (pleaded guilty)

Sentence or Outcome: 84 months in prison (63 months for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and 21 months for violating terms of supervised release)

Dollar Amounts: $250,000 fine (statutory penalty)

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/springfield-illinois-man-sentenced-84-months-prison-possession-firearm-prohibited