SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A Taylorville man has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after he was found guilty of selling methamphetamine.

Federal prosecutors said Jamal Shehadeh, 40, was found guilty in October of 2022 following a two-day jury trial. During the trial prosecutors established that on March 3, 2021, he arranged to sell meth to a confidential source. He accepted payment electronically and then called 911 to report an emergency in an attempt to distract law enforcement. He then went to a home and sold the source meth.

At Shehadeh’s sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow found that a sentencing guideline of obstruction of justice applied to his case due to Shehadeh’s “fanciful” testimony at trial, which the jury rejected. Darrow also noted his high risk of recidivism, as this was his third federal criminal conviction.

At the time the meth sale happened, Shehadeh was on federal parole for a prior drug trafficking conviction. At sentencing, Darrow revoked that term and sentenced him to a consecutive 30-month sentence for violating parole.

Upon release from prison, Shehadeh will be required to serve an additional six years on parole.