East St. Louis Man Sentenced on Marijuana Offense

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on December 6, 2010, TERRION WILLIAMS, age 30, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced in the United States District Court, East St. Louis, Illinois, following a previously entered guilty plea to an indictment charging him with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. The violation took place on December 8, 2009, in St. Clair County, Illinois. WILLIAMS was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $250 fine and a $100 special assessment.

According to court documents, on December 8, 2009, law enforcement officers went to the defendant’s residence in East St. Louis, upon receiving a tip that marijuana was at the residence. After obtaining consent to search the residence from WILLIAMS, police recovered 376.8 grams of marijuana which WILLIAMS admitted was his.

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 gun-related violence. The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kit R. Morrissey.