Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Antonio Sims, 39, Janesville, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 46 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Sims pled guilty to this offense on October 8, 2019.

On July 4, 2019, Janesville law enforcement officers responded to a complaint of a man making threats with a gun. The officers made contact with Sims who fit the description provided to them. When officers attempted to take Sims into custody, Sims fled on foot. With officers in close pursuit, Sims retrieved a handgun from his waistband and discharged it in the air three times.

Sims previously had been convicted of five felony offenses, including possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and aggravated battery.

The charge against Sims was the result of an investigation conducted by the Janesville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of this case has been handled by United States Attorney Blader.

The charge against Sims was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, and violent crimes and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.

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