EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Benny Davis, 37, of Granite City, Illinois, was sentenced in federal court
on Monday, March 7, 2022, to 10 years in prison for possessing firearms while being a convicted
felon. Davis was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release upon his release from
prison.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Davis was a passenger in a vehicle that
was stopped by the Hartford Police Department for traffic infractions. Police officers discovered a
rifle, three shotguns and a stolen handgun during a search of the vehicle. The recovered firearms
were all loaded at the time of the traffic stop. The officers also obtained videos of Davis firing
the guns the day prior to his arrest. Davis admitted to being a convicted felon at the
time of his arrest which prevented him from legally possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the
Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to
be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together
to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive
solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most
violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting
reductions in crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Hartford Police Department and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Hoell.