SPRINGFIELD, ILL. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Chad Dickerson, 34, of Brighton, Illinois, was sentenced on February 6, 2025, to 36 months of imprisonment for possessing a firearm as a felon, to be followed by 36 months of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless found that Dickerson possessed four firearms and noted that all four were fully loaded.
Dickerson pleaded guilty on September 4, 2024.
The statutory penalties for possession of firearm by a felon are up to 15 years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.
The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Dickerson 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.
