Illinois Senate candidate denies falsifying concealed carry certificates
A Rockford man running for Illinois Senate has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying training certificates required to obtain a concealed carry license and for possessing a handgun without a valid license.
Republican candidate Juan J. Reyes, 52, filed nominating petition paperwork in an effort to win state Sen. Steve Stadelman's seat in the General Assembly. This is the second time Reyes has run in Senate District 34. He was defeated by Stadelman in November 2022.
A former Rockford School Board candidate, Reyes in an email to the Rockford Register Star declined to comment on the charges or if he intends to continue his campaign.
Rock Valley College Trustee Crystal Villarreal Soltow of Belvidere has also signaled she is seeking the Republican nomination for the seat in the March 19 primary election.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a news release on Friday, days ahead of an election filing deadline, announcing that Reyes was facing charges in Ogle County of forgery, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison. He was also charged with the unlawful violation of the Concealed Carry Act, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in county jail.
Reyes pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Reyes is an instructor who trains people who want a concealed carry license, according to the news release.
Illinois State Police officials accuse Reyes of falsifying certificates by claiming applicants had completed the required 16 hours of training when they had not."Concealed Carry License training requirements are explicit, not discretionary, and are there for a reason," State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly said in the release. "ISP will not tolerate anyone trying to skirt training requirements and will rigorously investigate any allegations of impropriety."
Reyes was stopped Nov. 7 by an Illinois State Police trooper in Rockford for allegedly driving with illegal window tint and failure to signal, according to law enforcement documents filed in Winnebago County court.
The trooper arrested Reyes on an Ogle County warrant. The trooper also sought additional charges after Reyes told him about a 9 mm Glock 43 handgun in the vehicle's center console. Reyes' Firearm Owner's Identification Card and concealed carry license had been suspended at the time, authorities said.
Reyes has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated unlawful possession of a firearm, a Class 4 felony punishable by up to three years in prison and possession of a handgun without a valid FOID card, a Class A misdemeanor.
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Attorney General accuses Rockford candidate of forging documents
