Illinois Archives:
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) — A felon from Cairo, Illinois pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Wilbur Eugene Collier, 45, of Cairo pled guilty to the two count indictment, which charged him with being in possession of a .44 magnum Smith and Wesson Trophy Whitetail handgun and six .44 magnum bullets.
Collier faces a maximum sentence for each count of not more than 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and not more than 3 years supervised release.
Collier admitted to being in possession of the gun and its ammunition during a plea hearing, while being previously convicted of a federal felony.
Collier was originally stopped by officers from the Cairo police department on October 31, 2009 just after 1 a.m. local time. He was arrested when an officer noticed a gun in his vehicle and knew that he had been previously convicted of a felony. Collier was initially stopped for speeding.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cairo Police Department and the Illinois State Police. Collier is being prosecuted by the Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Carr.
Collier is set to be sentenced on April 19 in the U.S. District Court in Benton.
