Week in Review—Hammond

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

Indictments:

• Robert Barker, 28, of Calumet City, Illinois, was charged with six counts of making false statements during the purchase of firearms and six counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.
• Gerardo Mendez, 26, address unknown in Illinois, was charged with passing counterfeit obligations. This charge was filed as the result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randall Stewart.
• Rita Law, 55, of Chicago, Illinois, was charged with two counts of human trafficking and servitude and one count of transporting for the purpose of prostitution. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Susan Collins.
• Edward Olszewski, of Hobart, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Law et al., was charged with one count of transporting for the purpose of prostitution. This charge was filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Susan Collins.

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.

Pleas:

• Salvador Chavez, 34, of Chicago, Illinois, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity. Sentencing has been set for June 20, 2014. This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the East Chicago Police Department; and the Hammond Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.
• Cedric Payton, 39, of Indianapolis, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Sentencing has been set for April 10, 2014. This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives HIDTA Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.

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:

• Demetrius Moore, 48, of Merrillville, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to three years of probation and $16,283 in restitution after pleading guilty to the felony offense of theft of government property. According to documents filed in this case, from January 2009 through February 2011, Moore periodically filed for unemployment benefits with the state of Indiana at a time he knew he was not legally eligible for benefits because he was employed. This case was the result of an investigation by the Department of Labor. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randall Stewart.
• Jose Ortiz, 32, of Chicago, Illinois, a defendant in the case U.S. v Yepez et al., was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 15 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration HIDTA Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.
• Scott Filbey, 48, of Walton, Kentucky, was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to two concurrent terms of 342 months’ imprisonment and 20 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to two counts of the felony offense of production of child pornography. This case resulted from an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Indiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
• Simmuel Mobley, 46, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to 30 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Mobley has a prior felony conviction for dealing in marijuana in 2003. 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 Thomas McGrath.
• Antonio Wilson, 31, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to 15 months’ imprisonment and six years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of distribution of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Gary Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas McGrath.