Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 87 Months Imprisonment for Illegal Possession of Firearms
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A man from the Metro East will spend more than seven years in prison for illegally possessing firearms. Michael L. Dawson, 29, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
The crime occurred in December of 2019 when the United States Marshals Service located Dawson at his residence in East St. Louis, Illinois, and arrested him on an active arrest warrant. Agents recovered a total of six different guns. One of the weapons found was a semi-automatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine. An assortment of miscellaneous ammunition was also discovered during the search. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms or firearm ammunition. A federal grand jury indicted Dawson in January of 2020, and Dawson pled guilty on June 24, 2021.
As part of his sentence, Dawson will serve a three-year term of supervised release following his release from federal prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the Illinois State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ali Burns and David Dean prosecuted the case