Derrick Williams, a previously convicted felon from Granite City, pleaded guilty Feb. 2 to unlawful possession of a firearm, according to Stephen Wigginton, U.S. attorney general for the Southern District of Illinois.

Williams informed Drug Enforcement Administration of the firearm, a Glock 26 handgun loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition, during a November 2010 search of his home which uncovered a small amount of marijuana. Williams, 40, was keeping the handgun under his mattress and acknowledged to agents he knew it was illegal for him to possess the weapon because he was a convicted felon.

He is scheduled to be sentenced May 14, and could face up to 10 years in prison.