Felon Sentenced to Third Time in Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm

PEORIA, Ill. - A Peoria, Illinois man, Alan Andrew Collins, 39, of the 800 block of West MacQueen Avenue, has been sentenced to 55 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm. Collins has previously been convicted of felony offenses in 2004 and 2005 in Cook County, as well as two prior federal convictions for possession of a firearm in the Central District of Illinois in 2008 and 2014. He was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government established that, in November 2022, the ATF and Peoria Police executed a federal search warrant at Collins' house on MacQueen Avenue. During the search, Collins exited his bedroom where agents later located a loaded semi-automatic 9mm pistol on the nightstand next to the bed. The gun was loaded with a 16 round magazine and live ammunition, including a round in the chamber. During the search, police also located a 9mm 30-round extended magazine loaded with live ammunition, an ammunition speed loader, and additional rounds of ammunition. Collins admitted that his fingerprints and DNA would be on the gun because he had handled it. However, he disclaimed ownership of the gun, indicating his girlfriend had bought it and left it at his house.

Collins was arrested in November 2022 following a federal complaint. He was indicted by a federal grand jury two weeks later. Collins entered a guilty plea in February 2024. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.

The statutory penalties for a felon in possession of a firearm are up to 15 years imprisonment; up to 3 years of supervised release; and a fine of up to $250,000.00.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Peoria Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Collins 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.