A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
Zachary Fardon
CHICAGO — A convicted felon from southwest suburban Hickory Hills pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges he illegally possessed firearms whose serial numbers had been obliterated.
STEVEN RILEY, 24, sold a 20-gauge shotgun, two rifles and 40 rounds of assorted ammunition to an individual for $2,500 in November 2014. Unbeknownst to Riley, the buyer was a confidential informant who was working at the direction of agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Riley had previously been convicted of two felonies prior to the gun sales.
Riley pleaded guilty today to one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall scheduled a sentencing hearing for April 14, 2016, at 10:00 a.m.
In addition to the shotgun and rifles, Riley admitted in a plea agreement that he sold other firearms and assorted ammunition to the informant from October 2014 to February 2015. These additional sales netted Riley $3,600. In March 2015, agents executing a search warrant at Riley’s home in Hickory Hills discovered two loaded semi-automatic pistols and various ammunition, according to the plea agreement.
The guilty plea was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Jeffery Magee, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Hickory Hills Police Department assisted in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Pozolo, John D. Mitchell, and Jordan Palmore.
I have always believed that any altering or obliteration of serial numbers on any firearm was a federal offense………….
Was Riley taken into custody at the conclusion of the court hearing? Or is he out on a bond?
Will he vanish before his sentencing date?
(If he heads for Mexico, he probably won’t use his own cell phone to order a pizza.)
Why all the fooling around between the date of his guilty plea and sentencing?
Don’t you give up your right to appeal when you enter a guilty plea?
Since he was already a convicted felon, why not just put him away for ten years?
Why is U.S. Attorney Fardon’s picture used in all the press releases, instead of the criminal’s?
The Feds don’t release arrest photos.