Domestic Abuser Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

INDIANAPOLIS- Carlton Chaney Jr., 27, of Indianapolis, Indiana was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on September 21, 2022, agents with the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force were conducting an investigation at a residence near Irvington when Carlton Chaney exited the front door of the residence with a handgun in his waistband and drove away. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers pulled Chaney over on I-465 and recovered the handgun previously seen in Chaney’s waistband.

Chaney is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his previous felony convictions including a federal conviction for commercial robbery, and state convictions for battery with a deadly weapon, illegal gun possession, and resisting law enforcement. Chaney was also the subject of multiple domestic violence-related protective orders.

Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.

“Armed domestic abusers pose a serious threat to those closest to them, law enforcement officers, and public safety in general,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Many illegally armed perpetrators of gun violence in the home and mass shootings in public have a prior history of committing domestic violence. That’s why our office is working together with IMPD and the FBI, through the LEATH initiative, to protect the public from these offenders and save lives.”

The FBI investigated this case with the valuable assistance of the IMPD. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson. Judge Stinson also ordered that Chaney be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison. Chaney must pay a $900.00 fine and forfeit the handgun.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Barry D. Glickman, who prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was also brought as part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named in honor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Officer Breann Leath, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call.  A partnership among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the IMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the LEATH Initiative focuses federal, state, and local law enforcement resources on domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.