A federal jury in East St. Louis convicted Anthony D. Bradley Jr., 37, of one count of possession of a firearm by a felon following a two-day trial in the Southern District of Illinois [1]. The case arose from an October 28, 2024, encounter at the John De Shields housing complex, where officers conducting a proactive crime suppression detail observed Bradley in possession of a firearm [1]. The government charged Bradley under the federal felon-in-possession statute, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), a single-count indictment that proceeded to trial without reduction or dismissal [1].
At trial, the government relied on the observations of officers assigned to the suppression detail, whose testimony placed Bradley at the housing complex with the firearm [1]. Bradley's prior record, which included a conviction for second-degree murder and multiple prior firearm offenses, established the predicate felon status required for the § 922(g) charge [1]. The jury returned a guilty verdict on the sole count after the two-day proceeding [1].
Because this is a criminal matter, no damages are at issue. Bradley faces a sentencing hearing scheduled for September 1, 2026, before the district court [1]. His prior record, including the second-degree murder conviction and the firearm offenses, will be relevant to the advisory Guidelines range and to any government motion under the Armed Career Criminal Act, which carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years for defendants with three qualifying prior convictions [1].
No post-trial motions or notice of appeal has been reported as of publication. The sentencing proceeding will determine the custodial term [1].