A 32-year-old Galesburg man was sentenced last week to 10 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with methamphetamine trafficking.
Ricky D. Niswonger Jr plead guilty in April of 2021. He was sentenced Wednesday by Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow to the prison term and three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant on Niswonger’s car as part of an investigation into a suspected methamphetamine-trafficking operation. In the car, they found five firearms, ammunition, and a bulletproof vest.
Chief Judge Darrow also found that Niswonger had attempted to intimidate a possible witness in his case, which warranted a sentencing enhancement for obstruction of justice.
The statutory penalties for being a felon in possession of a firearm are a maximum of 10 year-imprisonment and three year-supervised release.
The Galesburg Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Mathew and Grant Thomas Hodges represented the government in the prosecution.
