ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A Galesburg, Illinois, father and son, Gilbert Dean Bicknell, 53, and Michael Gilbert Dean Bicknell, 28, were sentenced to federal prison on July 7, 2022, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Michael Bicknell was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment and his father, Gilbert Bicknell, was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment, both to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearing in front of Chief U.S. District Judge Sara L. Darrow, the government presented evidence that demonstrated that Michael Bicknell and Gilbert Bicknell were working together in early 2020 to procure kilograms of methamphetamine for distribution in the Galesburg, Illinois, area.
Also at the hearing, Chief Judge Darrow commented on the devastating impact that methamphetamine has had on communities within the Central District of Illinois.
Michael Bicknell entered a plea of guilty to the offense on February 2, 2022. Gilbert Bicknell entered a plea of guilty to the offense on August 10, 2021. The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine are 10 years to life imprisonment and a maximum lifetime term of supervised release.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office; Galesburg, Illinois, Police Department; and Knox County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Mathew represented the government in the prosecution.