Week in Review—Hammond

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

Pleas:

• Jeffrey Youngheim, 46, of Portage, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Chandler et al., pled guilty before Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to the felony offense of wire fraud. Sentencing has been set for September 17, 2012. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
• Richard Loveless, 51, of Gary, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Chandler et al., pled guilty before Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to the felony offense of wire fraud. Sentencing has been set for September 17, 2012. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
• Cosvell Glover, Jr., 36, Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of distribution of marijuana. Sentencing has been set for September 26, 2012. 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 Joshua Kolar.
• Jawan Cobbs, 23, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior Judge James T. Moody to the felony offense of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. 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 Nicholas Padilla.
• Carlos Rodriguez, 34, of Hobart, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior Judge James T. Moody to the felony offense of distribution of cocaine. 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 Jennifer Chang-Adiga.
• Jeffrey Alan Smith, 32, of Valparaiso, Indiana, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of possession of child pornography. Sentencing has been set for September 26, 2012. 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. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.

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.

Dispositions:

• Kristi Saffa, 25, of Hobart, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Lee et al., was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 18 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. According to the indictment in this case, Brandon Lee utilized individuals such as Saffa to procure pseudoephedrine to manufacture methamphetamine that was sold for profit to numerous individuals. The money was, in part, reinvested by members of the conspiracy to finance future methamphetamine “cooks.” This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.
• Ricky Stokes, 26, of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 180 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offenses of robbery and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence and drug trafficking. According to the complaint filed in this case, Stokes was part of a home invasion robbery crew operating in Hammond, Indiana, that would commit the armed robberies of narcotic “stash houses.” This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Hammond Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Nozick and Dean Lanter.