BENTON — A 38-year-old East St. Louis man has been sentenced in federal court in Benton for a weapons offense.

Elvinn Pawnell was sentenced after he earlier pleaded guilty to one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Donald S. Boyce, announced that Pawnell was sentenced to 52 months in prison, to be followed by a term of 3 years of supervised release, and was further ordered to pay a $100 special assessment and a $100 fine.

On November 3, 2015, police officers executed a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Pawnell in East St. Louis for a traffic violation.

A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed the presence of a firearm belonging to Pawnell in the vehicle.

Pawnell was a previously convicted felon, which prohibited him from possessing any firearm.

The case was investigated by the Illinois State Police and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak.