Press Release
☷East St Louis Man Sentenced to 30 Years Imprisonment for Production of Child Pornography and Gun Offense
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ( By Press Release office)
Apr 30,2022
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EAST ST . LOUIS , Ill . – Dinish L . Watson , 26 , of East St . Louis , Illinois , was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Wednesday , April 27 , 2022 , for Production of Child Pornography and Felon in Possession of a Firearm . Following his release from prison , Watson will serve a five - year term of supervised release . Watson was also ordered to register as a sex offender . According to court documents , on January 11 , 2021 , the United States Marshal’s Service ( USMS ) executed an arrest warrant at Watson’s residence for one of Watson’s friends . Discovered during the arrest was a Del - Ton 5 . 56 caliber rifle with a loaded extended magazine , a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol , a bullet proof vest , and additional ammunition . Watson admitted to law enforcement officials that he had previously held the rifle and posed for pictures with it . Watson later messaged two different friends on a social media application indicating that law enforcement had taken his guns . Evidence adduced at the sentencing hearing showed that Watson had acquired at least one firearm after his contact with USMS and that Watson claimed affiliation with a local gang in East St . Louis . Separately , in late January of 2021 , the East St . Louis Police Department and the Public Safety Enforcement Group ( PSEG ) received information that Watson had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 16 - year - old female . The investigation revealed that he repeatedly engaged in sexual conduct with the 16 - year - old and filmed her performing a sex act on him . While law enforcement investigated the case , Watson threatened the 16 - year - old and posted the video of the sex act to a social media website . Watson has prior felony convictions for Aggravated Battery and Stealing from a Person . He was on probation at the time of the offenses . This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods ( PSN ) , the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts . PSN is an evidence - based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime . Through PSN , a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community anddevelop comprehensive solutions to address them . As part of this strategy , PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime . This case was investigated by Public Safety Enforcement Group ( PSEG ) , the East St . Louis Police Department , and the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms , and Explosives ( ATF ) . PSEG is an Illinois State Police unit embedded in and working in direct partnership with the East St . Louis Police Department . Assistant U . S . Attorney Laura Reppert prosecuted the case .
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