By WMBD-TV
ATLANTA, Ill. – An Atlanta, Ill. man was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison this week on charges he conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine.
Juan E. Bernal, 54, had faced up to life in prison but U.S. District Judge James Shadid instead imposed the 252-month sentence. A lawful permanent resident of the United States, it’s likely that Bernal will be deported back to Mexico when he finishes serving his prison term.
He was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 17, 2022, along with four others: 41-year-old Maria Guadalupe Flores-Cano, 44-year-old Juan Carlos Figueroa-Ramirez, 23-year-old Edgar Daniel Perez-Hernandez, and 32-year-old Edgar J. Tello.
All were charged with the same conspiracy count which alleged that from Feb. 1, 2019 until the indictment, they distributed at least 50 grams of meth in several areas including Tazewell, Peoria, and Logan counties. The weight is a statutory amount that triggers a stiffer sentence.
Flores-Cano pleaded guilty in May and awaits sentencing. Figueroa-Ramirez pleaded last month and also awaits sentencing. Perez-Hernandez was sentenced in July to four years in federal prison.
The last person, Tello, is set for trial in Shadid’s courtroom in late October.
WMBD-TV can be reached at news@wjbc.com.
