BENTON — A Mt. Vernon man has been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on three counts of firearm and drug-related charges.

63-year-old Larry D. Mays of Mt. Vernon was indicted in United States District Court on October 4th with the indictment returned on Friday, according to Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.

Mays, a convicted felon, was reportedly in possession of three separate firearms on June 28, 2016 in Jefferson County. Mays knowingly and intentionally possessed marijuana with intent to distribute, and knowingly and intentionally possessed cocaine with an intent to distribute–all in violation of federal law after he committed the offense after having been convicted of three or more “serious drug offenses.”

If convicted, Mays faces a penalty of 15 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to 5 years’ supervised release following the prison term for the firearms count. On the marijuana charge, Mays faces up to 10 years in prison, up to a $500,000 fine, and not less than 4 years’ supervised release following the prison term. On the cocaine charge, Mays faces up to 3 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 2 years’ supervised release following prison.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Joint Narcotics Unit of the Mt. Vernon Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.