Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — David Jackson, 45, of Springfield, Illinois, was sentenced on Jan. 24 to an aggregate sentence of 120 months in the Bureau of Prisons for distribution of heroin and possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Jackson will also be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release following that sentence of imprisonment.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Jackson prepared, packaged and sold heroin while in possession of a firearm. Also at the hearing, U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid found that Jackson qualified as a career offender based on certain prior convictions.

Jackson remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals, where he has been since his federal arrest on June 8, 2022. The defendant pleaded guilty on July 5, 2023, before Judge Shadid.

The statutory penalties for distribution of heroin are up to 20 years’ imprisonment and up to a $1 million fine. The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime require a minimum sentence of 60 months’ imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence in the case.

The Springfield Police Department’s Pro-Active Crime Unit investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger represented the government in the prosecution. The case against Jackson is part of a committed effort to combat gun violence in Sangamon County, Illinois, by law enforcement including the Springfield Police Department, Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office, the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.   

The firearms case against Washington 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. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

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