Kankakee Man Sentenced to 72 months in Prison for Fifth Weapons Felony

URBANA, Ill. - A Kankakee, Illinois, man, Jerome Simms, 37, was sentenced on May 15, 2026 to 72 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm as a felon.

At the sentencing hearing in front of Chief United States District Judge Colin S. Bruce, the government presented evidence that Simms was found in possession of a firearm while fleeing a traffic stop in 2025. Simms had previously been found guilty of four other weapons offenses in Illinois state courts including armed robbery with a knife, armed robbery with a firearm, possessing a weapon in a penal institution, and possessing a firearm as a felon. The government also noted Simms's several controlled substance convictions. The government argued that a significant sentence was needed to deter Simms from further crimes.

Also at the hearing, Judge Bruce found that Simms was on mandatory supervised release, for delivery of cocaine when he possessed the firearm in the federal case. Judge Bruce encouraged Simms not to "squander the rest of his life" after serving his sentence and further encouraged him to leave behind the habits and lifestyle that led to this case.

Simms was convicted following a plea of guilty.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group; and the Kankakee Police Department cooperated in the investigation of the case. Assistant United States Attorney William J. Lynch 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.