PEORIA, Ill. – A Dunlap, Illinois man, Donald L. Yarber, 29, was sentenced on December 13, 2023, to 30 months in federal prison to be followed by a 3 year term of supervised release, for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. Senior District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the government provided information that Yarber was the driver of a car stopped by the Peoria Police Department for a traffic violation in July 2023. Police became aware of the unlawful presence of cannabis in the vehicle and, during a search, located a high-capacity magazine loaded with ammunition and a 9mm handgun with an obliterated serial number in the passenger area of the car. While booking Yarber at the county jail, officers located a live round of ammunition in his shoe. The ammunition matched that of the ammunition found in Yarber’s car. Based on further examination, the firearm located in Yarber’s car was found to be associated with two prior shooting incidents, one in Chicago in 2021, and another incident in the City of Peoria four days prior to Yarber’s arrest in July 2023.
Yarber was indicted in July 2023 and pled guilty in August 2023. He has remained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service while his case has been pending.
The statutory penalty for a felon in possession of a firearm is up to 15 years imprisonment, followed by up to 3 years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and 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 Yarber 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.