A Springfield man, Navell J. White, age 44, of the 1300 block of North 4th Street, was sentenced to 77 months imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person - a felon.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen R. Lawless, the government established that, during a traffic stop in September 2022, White, a felon, was found in possession of a Taurus G2 9mm pistol. During the hearing, Judge Lawless noted that White had a significant criminal history which included a pattern of domestic violence over several years.Â
White remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service, where he has been since his federal arrest on February 3, 2023. He pleaded guilty to the one-count indictment on December 14, 2023, before Judge Lawless.
The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person are up to 15 years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
The Springfield Police Department investigated the firearms case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case against White 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Seberger represented the government in the prosecution.
The case 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.