St. Charles, IL – A Chicago man has been sentenced to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after being convicted of armed violence and drug trafficking offenses stemming from a 2017 traffic stop on Interstate 90.
According to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, Judge Clint Hull (or the presiding judge identified in the release) sentenced Cory L. Alexander after a Kane County jury found him guilty on December 11, 2025, of two counts of armed violence, a Class X felony, and two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, also Class X felonies.
Prosecutors said the case originated on November 20, 2017, when Illinois State Police stopped Alexander, who was driving a rental vehicle on Interstate 90. Authorities said troopers recovered a loaded handgun beneath the driver’s seat and multiple bags of illegal drugs from the trunk.
According to prosecutors, the seized narcotics included more than 450 grams of cannabis, more than 49 grams of fentanyl, and more than 25 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl. Court records also indicated Alexander was on parole in Wisconsin at the time for a 2010 cocaine-related conviction.
Under Illinois law, Alexander is eligible for day-for-day sentencing credit and will receive credit for 1,049 days already served in the Kane County Jail.
Assistant State’s Attorney Jake G. Matekaitis said the sentence reflects the seriousness of illegally possessing a firearm while distributing dangerous narcotics, including fentanyl. Officials credited the Illinois State Police, including Trooper Trillet, along with prosecutors Jake Matekaitis and Ryan Merkel, for their work on the case.
