In a move to crack down on gun violence, a Peoria man has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.
Christopher J. Melahn, 35, of the 1400 block of North Rhodora Avenue, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon. Co-defendant Jamarcus J. Hollingsworth, 30, was sentenced in January 2024 to 57 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release on the same charge.
According to court documents, in May 2023, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives received information that Hollingsworth, a felon, was in possession of firearms and was offering to sell a pistol in Peoria. The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force conducted an investigation that led to the arrest of Hollingsworth at a hotel on West War Memorial Drive.
During the arrest, agents found both Hollingsworth and Melahn, also a felon, in possession of a firearm. A federal criminal complaint was filed against Melahn and Hollingsworth in May 2023 and an indictment followed in June 2023.
Hollingsworth pleaded guilty in September 2023, and Melahn pleaded guilty in October 2023. Melahn and Hollingsworth have been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since their arrests in May 2023.
The statutory penalties for possessing a firearm as a felon are up to 15 years’ imprisonment and up to three years of supervised release. The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution. The case against Melahn 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, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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