Week in Review—Hammond

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

Pleas:

• Abdkadr Mohammad, 29, of Chicago, Illinois, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of conspiracy to defraud the USDA’s SNAP benefit program. Sentencing has been set for January 10, 2014. This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Agriculture/Office of the Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane Berkowitz.
• Miguel Herrera-Torres, 32, of Chicago, Illinois, pled guilty before Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of re-entry of a deported alien. Sentencing has been set for December 11, 2013. This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Armando Salinas.
• Julius Solis, 24, and Michael Castillo, 22, both of East Chicago, Indiana and defendants in the case US v Briseno et al., pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon this week. Both pled guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity. Additionally, Solis pled guilty to the use of a firearm during a federal crime of violence and drug trafficking crime and Castillo pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana. These charges were filed as a result of an investigation by This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the East Chicago Police Department; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Gary Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, and the Lake County HIDTA. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick

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:

• Amin Velazquez, 33, of Rensselaer, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 30 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release, if not deported, after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy 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.
• Daniel Roman, 33, of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 56 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to documents filed in this case, Roman has a prior conviction for burglary and was on probation at the time of the instant offense. Roman’s illegally possessed a firearm while possessing with the intent to distribute marijuana. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.
• Terry Carlyle, 56, of Mooresville, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 120 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute cocaine. Carlyle, a former Marshal with the Brooklyn, Indiana Police Department and police officer with the Indianapolis Police Department, along with John Smith, a former Brooklyn Police Department officer, used their police credentials in their efforts to protect drug shipments. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Indiana State Police; and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.
• David Finley, Jr., 32, of Merrillville, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 30 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of making false statements in the purchase of a firearm and distribution of marijuana. According to documents filed in this case, Finley, a former Gary Police officer, committed multiple crimes during a three-week period by straw purchasing a handgun for a friend (a convicted felon) and selling marijuana. While awaiting sentencing on these crimes, Finley provided false information to the Court by submitting fake character letters. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force and the Gary Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell.
• Tamika Gayden, 32, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to 12 months of probation to include 6 months of home detention after pleading guilty to the felony offense of making false statements in connection with the purchase of firearms. According to documents filed in this case, Gayden straw-purchased five firearms for other individuals. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter.