BENTON, Ill. — A Williamson County man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Benton on three charges relating to the unlawful possession and sale of firearms.

Court records show Austin K. Sims, who was charged in a three-count indictment on July 12 of last year, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Sims previously pled guilty to all three counts.

Count One charged Sims with engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, Count Two charged that Sims knowingly possessed a firearm while being an unlawful use of a controlled substances and Count Three charged Sims with making materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements to law enforcement agents during the investigation into his criminal conduct.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the assistance of the Marion, Illinois Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Liam Coonan and Amanda Robertson.