Madison Man Sentenced For Firearm Offense
EAST ST. LOUIS, IL - Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that on January 3, 2011, Fontez Combs , age 37, of Madison, Illinois, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison, a term of 3 years of supervised release, a fine of $250, and a special assessment of $100.
Combs had previously pled guilty on September 15, 2010, in United States District Court in East St. Louis to being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. According to information presented at COMBS’ change of plea hearing, Combs was found by law enforcement officers to be in possession of semi-automatic pistol on April 7, 2009.
The investigation which resulted in Combs’ conviction was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Illinois State Police. The investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative is designed to bring federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking organizations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Simonson.