Moline Man Sentenced to 96 months in Prison for Third Firearms Felony

Rock Island, Ill. - A Moline, Illinois, man, Donovan James Cartwright-Nye, 25, was sentenced on May 20, 2026, to 96 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm as a felon.

At a sentencing hearing before United States District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, the government presented information that in December 2024, Cartwright-Nye traded drugs for a firearm with an obliterated serial number and the following day fired several shots at another person in Rock Island, Illinois. Cartwright-Nye then fled the scene in his vehicle that he proceeded to crash several blocks away. He was apprehended on foot a short time later.

At the time of the offense, Cartwright-Nye already had two prior Illinois state court convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was released from the Iowa Department of Corrections approximately five months prior to committing this offense. The government argued that a significant sentence was needed to protect the public and deter Cartwright-Nye from committing further crimes.

Cartwright-Nye pleaded guilty to the federal charge in August 2025.

The statutory penalties for possessing a firearm as a felon are up to 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

The Rock Island Police Department; Rock Island County Sheriff's Office; Illinois State Police; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney John Mehochko represented the government in the prosecution.

This case 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.