Indictments Returned in Hammond Federal Court

HAMMOND, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office announced that the following Indictments were returned on July 12, 2012:

• Manolo Lopez-Ramirez, 26, of Valparaiso, Indiana, was charged in an indictment with being an illegal alien 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 Task Force; ICE-Homeland Security Investigations; the Porter County Sheriff’s Office; and the Indiana State Police. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.
• Booker Terry Rogers, 46, of West Lafayette, Indiana, was charged in an indictment with failure to register as a sex offender. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the United States Marshals Service. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
• Michael Hostetler, 28, of Portage, Indiana, was charged in an indictment with receipt and possession of child pornography. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
• Carl Edward Powers, 53, of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, was charged in an indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.