Peoria Felon Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Distribution of Methamphetamine

PEORIA, Ill. - A 25-year-old Peoria, Illinois man, Avione Quzea Maurice Parks, was sentenced on September 4, 2024, to ten years in federal prison for three separate counts of distributing methamphetamine. Upon his release from confinement, Parks will serve five years of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. Senior District Judge Joe B. McDade, the government presented evidence that Parks sold a collective 6 ounces of methamphetamine over three transactions in January and February 2024. Parks's conviction in the instant case was his fifth felony conviction as an adult; he previously had been convicted of three firearms offenses and one controlled substance felony. Parks had served two prior sentences in the Illinois Department of Corrections and had been discharged from state parole only eighteen days prior to his first sale of methamphetamine in this case.

Parks previously pleaded guilty to all three counts in May 2024. He was arrested on a criminal complaint in late February 2024 and indicted in early March 2024. Parks has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.

The statutory penalties for Counts 1 and 3, distributing five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), are five to 40 years' imprisonment, followed by at least four years of supervised release, for each count. The penalties for Count 2, distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), are 10 years to life imprisonment, followed by at least five years of supervised release.

The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff's Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Parks 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.