East St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Assault and Firearm Offenses

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on October 15, 2010, ANDRE P. INGRAM, age 47, of East St. Louis, Illinois, pled guilty in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois, to assault of a federal officer and possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. INGRAM also agreed to forfeiture of the firearm used in the offenses and any and all ammunition.

INGRAM is currently scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2011. On the assault charge, INGRAM faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, not more than three years of supervised release upon release from imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment. On the felon in possession charge, INGRAM faces a possible maximum sentence of not more than 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, not more than three years of supervised release upon release from imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment.

According to court documents, the violations occurred on or about February 2, 2010, when agents of the FBI and Illinois State Police went to a residence in East St. Louis in an attempt to find individuals who had just fled from the police. INGRAM answered the door but initially refused to come out in the open. When he did exit the residence, he had a fully loaded firearm in his hand which he raised and started to point it at the police officers. INGRAM was shot by law enforcement officers during the attempt to disarm him.

Stu McArthur, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Springfield Division, stated “law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day and they are sworn to protect and serve their communities. The two agents involved confronted this dangerous felon, and we are all thankful that there were no fatalities as a result of this situation. The community can be proud that these agents continue to accomplish their mission to combat crime in the East St. Louis area.”

Commander Scott Abbott, Illinois State Police, stated, “as police officers, we are charged with the responsibility of protecting lives, including our own. It is rare that an officer has to use a firearm to carry out this responsibility but sometimes we must. This incident was an example of our responsibility and it was an unpleasant reality for all involved. All the officers involved in operation WAVE have displayed the utmost professionalism and have continued their efforts to reduce crime and protect the public in the metro-east.”

The case resulted from the efforts of the WAVE (Working Against Violent Elements) Task Force, which focuses its efforts on combating violent crime in East St. Louis, Washington Park, and surrounding communities. WAVE was formed in November, 2009, and is a collaboration of law enforcement officers from the Illinois State Police, the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI), the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, the East St. Louis Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service. The WAVE Task Force receives financial support through the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a nationwide federal program which endeavors to address gunrelated violence. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Deirdre A. Durborow for prosecution.