Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Four Men Sentenced to Prison for Firearms Offenses
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Four men charged with federal firearms offenses in late 2020 and 2021 have been sentenced to prison by U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough.
Kai R. Estomo-Encallado, 21, of Grayson, Texas, was sentenced on February 4, 2022, to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for possession of a shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches long.
Donovan Hoover, 26, of the 600 block of Wood St. in Springfield, Illinois, was sentenced on January 31, 2022, to 30 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a felon.
Eric Allison, 26, of the 2200 block of E. Laurel St. in Springfield, was sentenced on January 24, 2022, to 18 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year-term of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a felon.
Latayveon Wells, 22, of the 200 block of N. State St. in Springfield, was sentenced on October 18, 2021, to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a felon.
All of the men had previously pleaded guilty to the offenses of conviction.
The statutory penalties for the offenses of conviction are up to 10 years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to a three-year term of supervised release.
“Even one gun in the hands of someone who should not possess a weapon can lead to fatal consequences,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sierra Senor-Moore. “The collaboration between local and federal agencies as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods is essential to reducing gun violence in our community.”
The Department of Justice’s recent renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: (1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; (2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; (3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and (4) measure results with the goal of reducing the level of violence in our communities, not increasing the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in and of themselves.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Springfield Police Department; and the Illinois State Police investigated the cases as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Senor-Moore and Sarah Seberger represented the government in the prosecutions.