Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MADISON, WIS. -- John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Joshua Gillespie, 24, Beloit, Wis., was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 84 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Gillespie pleaded guilty to this offense on January 13, 2015.

On October 8, 2014, Gillespie was observed conducting a drug deal in Beloit. When officers approached him, he fled. Officers caught up with Gillespie and located a fully-loaded Smith and Wesson revolver nearby. Gillespie admitted the firearm was his and he told the police that he was addicted to a drug-dealing lifestyle.

At the time of his arrest, Gillespie was on probation for a state court conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He also has an extensive criminal history, which began when he was 12 years old.

Gillespie is one of six persons convicted of a federal drug or gun crime as the result of G-Roc investigations during the past year. Two other defendants are pending trial on heroin charges.

This case resulted from a an investigation by G-ROC, a task force formed through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative, to address gang and drug-related violence in Rock County through the coordination of investigations among local and federal law enforcement agencies. Its members include the FBI; Rock County Sheriff’s Office; Rock County District Attorney’s Office; Beloit Police Department; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rita M. Rumbelow.