ROCKFORD MAN CONVICTED OF GUN CHARGE AS A CONVICTED FELON

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ROCKFORD– A Rockford, Ill. man was convicted today after a three-day trial on a federalgun charge. Nicholas Stenson, 28, was found guilty by a federal jury followinga trial before U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala forillegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Accordingto the indictment and evidence at trial, on July 10, 2011, shortly after 2:00am, members of the Rockford Police Department’s M3 Unit observed Stenson onRock Street standing next to a green Pontiac. When officers parked their squadcar near the Pontiac and activated the emergency lights, Stenson ran to theback of the Pontiac, reached into his waistband and threw a gun underneath thePontiac. Officers recovered the gun thrown by Stenson – a black Colt .45handgun loaded with six rounds of Blazer .45 caliber ammunition.
Stensonwas originally charged in state court and was transferred to federal courtwhere he was charged under tough federal firearms laws as part of the ProjectSafe Neighborhoods program. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an intensive,cooperative effort between local, state, and federal law enforcement to attackgun crimes. The cornerstone of the program is that every defendant committingan offense involving a gun will be reviewed for possible federal prosecution inorder to obtain the harshest penalties for the worst offenders. Additionalinformation about Project Safe Neighborhoods may be found at www.psn.gov.
Stensonfaces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole.The actual sentence will be determined by the United States District Court,guided by the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines. Sentencing isscheduled for January 9, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. The verdict was announced by GaryS. Shapiro, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District ofIllinois; W. Larry Ford, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division ofthe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Joseph Bruscato,Winnebago County State’s Attorney; and Chet Epperson, Chief of the RockfordPolice Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. AttorneysScott R. Paccagnini and Monica V. Mallory.