ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OBTIANIS GUILTY PLEAS, PRISON SENTENCES IN TWO GUN TRAFFICKING CASES

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OBTIANIS GUILTY PLEAS, PRISON SENTENCES IN TWO GUN TRAFFICKING CASES

May 08, 2026

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced two men prosecuted by his office pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to prison for selling illegal firearms.

Gerardo Martinez, 32 of Melrose Park, pleaded guilty to one Class 1 felony count of gunrunning and was sentenced in Kane County Circuit Court to seven years in prison.

Jerome Coleman, 46 of Chicago, pleaded guilty to one Class 1 felony count of gunrunning and was sentenced in Cook County Circuit Court to seven years and six months in prison.

"I am firmly committed to prosecuting illegal gun sales, which go hand in hand with gun violence in our communities and other criminal activities throughout Illinois," Raoul said. "I will continue to take a proactive and collaborative approach toward fighting gun violence, and I appreciate the partnership of the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that assist in the prosecution and investigation of gunrunning cases."

Raoul charged Coleman after he illegally sold three handguns. Raoul charged Martinez and Earl Roschell, 33 of DeKalb, after the two illegally sold two rifles and one shotgun. Charges against Roschell are still pending. His next court date is scheduled for June 25, 2026.

Raoul's Statewide Grand Jury Bureau is authorized by Illinois statute to prosecute multicounty cases involving drugs, money laundering, guns or electronics. Working regularly with state and federal counterparts, the bureau focuses on complex, often large-scale, organized criminal activity.

Deputy Bureau Chief Andrew Whitfield prosecuted the cases for Raoul's Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.