Quincy, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 108 Months for Possessing a Firearm as a Felon and Violating His Supervised Release

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A Quincy, Illinois, man, Donte Clausell, 36, was sentenced on October 31, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless, to 96 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Judge Lawless also sentenced Clausell to 12 months in prison, to be served consecutively to his other sentence, for violating his supervised release. At the time he unlawfully possessed the firearm, Clausell was serving a sentence of supervised release for a drug distribution conviction in the Eastern District of Missouri.

On September 26, 2020, Clausell knowingly possessed a firearm containing an extended ammunition clip that was loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition. Clausell was indicted in November 2020 and plead guilty in February 2023.

The statutory penalties for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon are up to 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to a three-year term of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Quincy Police Department and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Clausell is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.