PEORIA, Ill. – A man illegally living in Peoria, Illinois – Pedro Lozolla, 28, of the 2100 block of West Garden Street – was sentenced on October 29, 2021, to 37 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.
The firearm recovered was a modified ERA 12-gauge shotgun, the barrel of which had been sawed off. The stock of the gun had been removed and replaced with an aluminum baseball bat. At sentencing, the government noted that Lozolla had admitted to police that he had been selling drugs for several months and possessed the firearm because he liked how it looked.
Lozolla pleaded guilty to the charge in June 2021 and agreed to forfeiture.
The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by an unlawful alien are no more than 10 years imprisonment, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
This case was the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration; Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Legge represented the government in the prosecution.
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