Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul obtained a guilty plea from a Springfield woman for falsifying training certificates required to obtain a concealed carry license in Illinois.
Raoul’s office prosecuted Tayana P. Henderson, 37, who pleaded guilty to one Class 3 felony count of forgery and one Class A misdemeanor count of the unlawful violation of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge John Madonia sentenced Henderson on Thursday to two years of second chance probation and 30 hours of community service. Henderson is also now prohibited from being a certified firearms instructor.
“Preventing gun violence across Illinois includes prosecuting individuals who lie to subvert safety requirements and break state law,” Raoul said. “I will continue to partner with the Illinois State Police and law enforcement agencies across Illinois to keep communities safe by holding such offenders accountable.”
Henderson, who was an instructor who trained others seeking to obtain concealed carry licenses, falsified certificates by claiming applicants had completed the legally-required 16 hours of training when they had not. The Illinois State Police (ISP) investigated the case.
“Concealed carry license training requirements are explicit, not discretionary, and there for a reason,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP will fully investigate anytime there is evidence of someone attempting to circumvent Illinois' firearm owners or concealed carry laws.”
Assistant Attorneys General Steven Knight and Nicole Bartell prosecuted the case for Raoul’s office.
