PEORIA, Ill. –Deangelo Foster, 24, of the 1300 block of Condit Street in Decatur, Illinois, was sentenced today to 84 months’ imprisonment for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
At the sentencing hearing, the government stated that in February 2021, Peoria police officers in a fully marked police vehicle saw a Jeep Cherokee doing donuts on MacArthur Highway in front of a gas station. When officers tried to stop the Jeep, the driver refused, eventually losing control and almost striking a second vehicle before getting stuck on the median. Foster was the lone occupant of the car. Officers found a loaded handgun in Foster’s coat pocket. It was later discovered that the gun had been stolen from a Leroy, Illinois, gun store, and the Jeep was stolen in Chicago.
At Foster’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid stated that none of the penalties imposed for Foster’s previous convictions had been successful in deterring his conduct and that all of the factors show that he is not a good candidate for rehabilitation. The judge noted that Foster’s conduct involved driving recklessly in a stolen vehicle, fleeing from the police, crashing the vehicle, and fleeing on foot while in possession of a loaded, stolen handgun. The judge further noted that the gun Foster possessed had been stolen from a gun store in 2020 and had been used in a shooting in Peoria that same year. In imposing the sentence, the judge commented, “These stolen guns are making their way into the community and being used in shootings.”
“This seven-year sentence demonstrates that people who possess firearms who are legally prohibited from doing so will pay a steep price,” said Acting United States Attorney Douglas J. Quivey. “Incarcerated federal defendants must serve at least 85% of their sentence. As noted by Judge Shadid, Mr. Foster endangered the public. As a result, he was held accountable for his actions.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Peoria Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.
PEORIA, Ill. - A Brimfield, Ill., man, Thomas L. Bledsoe, 52, today pled guilty to concealing insurance policies valued at more than $100,000 from the U.S. Trustee and creditors in his bankruptcy petition. Bledsoe entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade. Sentencing is scheduled on Nov. 22, 2017.
According to court documents and statements during today’s hearing, on Mar. 18, 2009, Bledsoe filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. On April 2, 2009, Bledsoe, a life insurance agent, filed a Schedule B form which required that he disclose any interest he owned in any insurance policies, to name the insurance company for each policy and to itemize the surrender or refund value of each policy, to which Bledsoe answered “none.”
On April 30, 2009, at a meeting of creditors, Bledsoe testified under oath that the voluntary petition and schedules were correct. After a creditor filed an objection, during a hearing on Oct. 26, 2009, Bledsoe testified that he owned a life insurance policy with a cash value of $5,000. Bledsoe subsequently amended the Schedule B form to indicate that he owned a single life insurance policy with a cash value of $3,000.
In fact, as Bledsoe admitted during today’s proceeding, he owned four life insurance policies, with a combined cash value of more than $50,0000, from Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company, and three life insurance policies, with a combined cash value of more than $57,000, from Canada Life Insurance Company. In addition, Bledsoe admitted he failed to disclose possession of three cashier’s checks totaling more than $65,000, and a 2005 Montesa motorcycle. Bledsoe also falsely stated that he had not received any money from the sale of his residence, when in fact, he had received money from the sale of the residence as part of his divorce, approximately two years prior to the bankruptcy proceeding.
The charges resulted from a referral by the U.S. Trustee for Indiana and Central and Southern Illinois (Region 10) to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois. The charges were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in collaboration with the Central Illinois Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group coordinated by the U.S. Trustee. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris is prosecuting the case.
“Together with Acting U.S. Attorney Hansen and our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue fraud and abuse in bankruptcy cases,” stated Nancy J. Gargula, U.S. Trustee for Southern Illinois, Central Illinois, and Indiana (Region 10). The U.S. Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. Region 10 is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional offices in South Bend, Ind., and Peoria, Ill.
The statutory maximum penalty for concealing assets in bankruptcy proceedings is up to five years in prison. The maximum statutory penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided for informational purposes as sentencing is determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
PEORIA, Ill. -- A Brimfield, Ill., man, Thomas L. Bledsoe, 53, has been sentenced for concealing insurance policies valued at more than $100,000 from the U.S. Trustee and creditors in his bankruptcy petition. On Nov. 22, U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade ordered that Bledsoe serve the first 10 months of a two-year period of supervised release in home confinement. Bledsoe was also ordered to pay a fine of $3,000.
On July 25, 2017, Bledsoe pled guilty to concealing assets related to his bankruptcy petition filed in March 2009, under Chapter 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In April 2009, Bledsoe, a life insurance agent, answered “none” on the Schedule B form which required that he disclose any interest he owned in any insurance policies, to name the insurance company for each policy and to itemize the surrender or refund value of each policy. At a meeting of creditors, Bledsoe testified under oath that the voluntary petition and schedules were correct.
After a creditor filed an objection, during a hearing in October 2009, Bledsoe testified that he owned a life insurance policy with a cash value of $5,000. Bledsoe subsequently amended the Schedule B form to indicate that he owned a single life insurance policy with a cash value of $3,000.
In fact, Bledsoe owned four life insurance policies, with a combined cash value of more than $50,0000, from Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company, and three life insurance policies, with a combined cash value of more than $57,000, from Canada Life Insurance Company. In addition, Bledsoe admitted he failed to disclose possession of three cashier’s checks totaling more than $65,000, and a 2005 Montesa motorcycle. Bledsoe also falsely stated that he had not received any money from the sale of his residence, when in fact, he had received money from the sale of the residence as part of his divorce, approximately two years prior to the bankruptcy proceeding.
The charges resulted from a referral by the U.S. Trustee for Indiana and Central and Southern Illinois (Region 10) to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois. The charges were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in collaboration with the Central Illinois Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group coordinated by the U.S. Trustee. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris prosecuted the case.
“Concealing assets in a bankruptcy proceeding is a crime,” stated Nancy J. Gargula, United States Trustee for Central and Southern Illinois and Indiana (Region 10). “We are grateful to all of our law enforcement partners in this case, and in particular to U.S. Attorney Childress for his commitment to pursuing those who commit bankruptcy fraud and abuse the bankruptcy process for their own personal gain.” The U.S. Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. Region 10 is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional offices in Peoria, Ill., and South Bend, Ind.”
