Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

DOJ seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Northern District of Illinois
John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney
www.justice.gov/usao-ndil
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Two Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms in Rockford

ROCKFORD — Two men have been sentenced to federal prison terms for illegally possessing firearms in Rockford.

U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston on Friday sentenced RAHIME BRIGGS, 25, of Rockford, to six years and ten months, and, in a separate case, sentenced D’LEON JOHNSON, 25, of Rockford, to four years and two months.

Briggs and Johnson pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of illegal firearm possession. As previously convicted felons, they were prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms.

Briggs admitted in a plea agreement that he illegally possessed a handgun and rifle on Feb. 1, 2021, in Rockford. Johnson admitted in a plea agreement that he illegally possessed two handguns and a drum-style magazine loaded with ammunition on March 15, 2021, in Rockford.

The sentences were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the ATF; and Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Ladd.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

ATF.gov

An official website of the U.S. Department of Justice

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov