Week in Review – Hammond

HAMMOND, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following:

PLEAS:

• John Rogers, 23, of Munster, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of conspiracy to distribute heroin. Sentencing has been set for 3/14/12. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.
• Charles Montgomery, 38, of Merrillville, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior Judge James T. Moody to the felony offense of distribution of crack cocaine. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacqueline Jacobs.
• Tyrell McCoy, 33, of Chicago, Illinois, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of misuse of a Social Security Number and aggravated identity theft. Sentencing has been set for 3/21/12. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell.
• Daphyne Thomas, 36, of Markham, Illinois, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of attempt and conspiracy to commit mail fraud and insurance fraud utilizing the mail. Sentencing has been set for 5/23/12. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Toi Houston.
• Eric Crosslin, 25, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of being a felon in possession of a firearm. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives HIDTA Hammond South Bend Fort Wayne Task Force and the Gary Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter.
• Steven E. Lewis, 51, of Hammond, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior Judge James T. Moody to an Information charging him with possession of child pornography. Lewis will be required to register as a sex offender. Lewis also agreed to forfeit his interest in the computer and computer related equipment seized by the United States in this case. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Custom Office of Homeland Security Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
• Darcell Perkins, 25, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior Judge James T. Moody to the felony offense of being a felon in possession of a firearm. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter.

The specific sentence in each case to be imposed upon conviction will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

DISPOSITIONS:

• James Costello, 33, of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Moody to 18 months’ imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, following his felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute marijuana. During execution of a search warrant on Costello’s residence in September 2010, the ATF recovered approximately one kilogram of marijuana, in addition to two firearms and ammunition. Costello has two prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and a prior misdemeanor conviction for domestic battery. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and Hammond Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter.
• Cachun Combs, 33, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior Judge James T. Moody to 60 months’ imprisonment and four years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine in the case U.S. v Weaver et al. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacqueline Jacobs.
• Elbert Nicholson, 23, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to six months’ imprisonment, six months of home confinement, and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of receiving a firearm while being under information for a felony. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives HIDTA Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.
• Chad Skwiat, 25, of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 60 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.
• James Donald, 23, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to time served, one year of supervised release and 50 hours of community service after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives HIDTA Task Force and the Gary Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter.