Fort Wayne Man Convicted at Trial of Drug Trafficking and Firearm Offenses

FORT WAYNE – Kendrick D. Bates, 39 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was found guilty of three drug trafficking offenses and one firearm offense late last night following a four-day jury trial, presided over by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. 

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July 11, 2024, at 10:30 a.m.  Any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the District Court Judge after consideration of federal statutes and the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Wayne Safe Streets Gang Task Force and the Fort Wayne Police Department, with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s North Central Laboratory, the Fort Wayne Police Laboratory, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony W. Geller and Teresa L Ashcraft.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This case was also 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.