Week in Review—Hammond

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

Indictments

• Danilo Danti, 58, of Lake Forest, Illinois, was charged in an Indictment returned on 12/19/11 with interstate transportation of stolen goods. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service and the Schererville Police Department. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randall Stewart.

Pleas

• George Doukas, 49, of Reddick, Illinois, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of bank robbery by force or violence of the Fifth Third Bank in Munster, Indiana. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sentencing has been set for 3/20/12. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.
• Chandra Thomas, 31, of Hammond, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to the felony offense of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and insurance fraud utilizing the mail. Sentencing has been set for 3/6/12. 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.
• Ryan Douglas, 20, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the case US v Powell et al. 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. Hammond South Bend Fort Wayne
• Reginald Jones, 46, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute heroin in the case US v Powell et al. Sentencing has been set for 4/26/12. 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.
• Reginald Jones, 33, of University Park, Illinois, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute heroin in the case US v Powell et al. Sentencing has been set for 4/25/12. 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.
• Erica Douglas, 23, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute heroin in the case of US v Powell et al. Sentencing has been set for 4/20/12. 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.
• Jeff Jones, 30, of Sauk Village, Illinois, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. Sentencing has been set for 4/26/12. 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.
• Willie Hayden, 76, of East Chicago, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of theft of government property in excess of $1000. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Social Security Administration. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell.
• Lee Irving Gilyard, 27, of Hammond, Indiana, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of selling a firearm to a convicted felon. Sentencing has been set for 4/4 12. 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 David Nozick.
• Ismail Bashir, 33, of Country Club Hills, Illinois, had his initial appearance following being charged in a criminal complaint with the felony offenses of unlawfully possessing a fully automatic machinegun, and possessing a firearm as a felon,. Bashir fired a machinegun at the Mansards Apartment Complex in Griffith, Indiana, shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, after which he was arrested and the machinegun and ammunition was recovered. Bashir has a prior felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance and a prior federal misdemeanor conviction for mail theft. This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Griffith Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter. 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. 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

• Damon Stinson, 35, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Robert Miller, Jr. to 13 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of distribution of cocaine. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Schaffer.
• Tyrone Reynolds, 28, of Chicago, Illinois was sentenced by Judge Rudy Lozano to Life plus seven years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release if not deported after pleading guilty to the felony offenses of kidnapping, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, and use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence and in relation to a narcotics offense in the case US v Blades 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.
• Carl Taylor, 29, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Lozano to 24 months’ imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, following his felony conviction for being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm in Gary, Indiana, in June 2011. Taylor has a prior felony conviction for criminal recklessness and a prior misdemeanor conviction for domestic battery. Taylor has been in custody since the date of his arrest at the time of the crime in June 2011. This case was investigated 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.