Peoria man sentenced on gun-related charges

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) – A Peoria man was sentenced Monday to two years in prison on gun-related charges.

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Christopher J. Melahn, 35, was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon. His two years of imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release.

His co-defendant, Jamarcus J. Hollingsworth, 30, was sentenced in January to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release on the same charge.

In May 2023, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives received information that Hollingsworth, a felon, was in possession of firearms and offering to sell a pistol in Peoria.

The Peoria Area Federal Gun Task Force's investigation led to the arrest of Melahn and Hollingsworth at a hotel on West War Memorial Drive, where officers allegedly found them in possession of a firearm. fire.

Hollingsworth pleaded guilty in September 2023 and Melahn pleaded guilty in October 2023. They have both been in the custody of the US Marshals since May 2023.

This incident was investigated by the Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, which includes members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, from the Peoria Police Department, the Peoria County Sheriff's Department, the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois State Police.