Week in Review – Hammond

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

Rhonda Murphy, 35, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior Judge James T. Moody to count one of an information charging her with assisting in the preparation /presentation of fraudulent tax returns. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.

Charles Standifer, 35, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to count one of an information charging him with aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false tax return. Sentencing has been set for 11/7/11. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.

Marlon Blades, 32, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by Judge Rudy Lozano to 188 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervise release after pleading guilty to count one of a superseding indictment charging him with kidnapping in the case U.S. v Jermaine Gentle 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 David Nozick.

Donte Brown, 36, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to count one of an indictment charging him with distribution of cocaine. Sentencing has been set for 11/2/11. 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 Jennifer Chang-Adiga.

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.