Week in Review—Hammond

HAMMOND, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following activity in federal court:

Dispositions:

James L. Williams, 45, of Kankakee, Illinois, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 87 months’ imprisonment, restitution of $284,218.29, and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of the armed bank robbery of Kentland Bank in Lake Village, Indiana. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Newton County Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.

Johana Jatzhiry Velazquez, 29, a Mexican national residing in Rensselaer, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to time already served and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. According to documents filed by the government in this case, Velazquez was responsible for assisting with the transportation of a significant amount of cocaine. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Illinois State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.

Imaru Jones, 29, of Griffith, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to two years of probation, to include eight months of home detention, after pleading guilty to the felony offense of distribution of marijuana. According to documents filed by the government in this case, the offense involved the Jones selling approximately 8,642 grams of marijuana over the course of three sales to a confidential informant. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter.

Miguel Villegas-Marin, 54, of Indianapolis, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Montoya Gonzalez et al., was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 37 months’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana. According to documents filed by the government in this case, Villegas-Maris was involved in picking up a load of marijuana that was transported from Texas. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.

Robert Thompson, Jr., 25, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 37 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. According to documents filed by the government in this case, an AK-47 rifle was found in a vehicle occupies by Thompson during a traffic stop. Thompson has prior convictions for dealing in cocaine in 2008 and a controlled substance crime in 2008. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Gary Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.

William Weigand, 43, of Portage, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to six months’ imprisonment, six months of home detention, and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to documents filed by the government in this case, Weigand has a prior conviction for burglary in 1989. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Indiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.

Linda Lyrla, 58, of Demotte, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 46 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offenses of mail fraud and tax evasion. Lyrla also was ordered to pay restitution totaling $1,426,057.85 to the victims and forfeiture of $1,384,600. According to documents filed by the government in this case, Lylra embezzled funds from her employer, Alliance Technology Group. In 2001, Lyrla began her scheme to siphon money by creating an internal fund for a credit card. During the next nine years, she used the credit card for personal purchases and paid the balances with company funds. She used the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle and did not pay income taxes to the IRS on her ill-gotten income. This case was the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell.