Activity in Federal Court – Hammond

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

Raul Ramirez, 29, of Griffith, Indiana, was charged by an indictment returned on 5/6/10, with being a felon in possession of a firearm, to wit: a Glock Model 26 9mm pistol. Ramirez was previously convicted of possession of cocaine in 2001. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.

Shaun Burts, 27, of Gary, Indiana, was charged by indictment returned on 5/6/10, with being a felon in possession of a firearm, to wit; a Cobra, Patriot model, nine-millimeter pistol, loaded with ten (10) rounds of ammunition. Burts was previously convicted of auto theft. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.

Tony Hawkins, 28, of Hammond, Indiana, was charged by an indictment returned on 5/6/10, with being a felon in possession of a firearm, to wit; a Bersa .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Hawkins was previously convicted of confinement in 2005. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives and the Merrillville Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.

Kevin Blue, 25, of Gary, Indiana, was charged by indictment returned on 4/23/10, with being a felon in possession of a firearm, to wit; a Rossi .38 caliber revolver and ammunition. Blue was previously convicted of pointing a firearm in 2007. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives/HIDTA Task Force and the Gary Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.

Arcangel Rivera, 22, of East Chicago, Indiana was sentenced on 5/6/10, by Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 15 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to count 1 of an indictment charging him with distribution of cocaine. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.

Delta Wilder, 20, of Gary, Indiana, plead guilty on 5/4/10, before Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich to Counts 2 and 6 of the Superseding Indictment charging him respectively, with aggravated bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in the case US v Lamar Washington, et al. Wilder was charged with bank robbery of Chase Bank in Hammond, Indiana on November 17, 2008. Sentencing has been set for July 23, 2010. This case was investigated by the FBI GRIT Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Ratcliffe.

Robert Acklin, 33, of Riverdale, Illinois, plead guilty on 5/5/10, before Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to count 2 of the indictment charging him with Conspiracy to Distribute a Quantity of a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base, commonly known as “crack” cocaine. Sentencing has been set for July 28, 2010. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation/GRIT Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.

Larry Massengill, 65, of Highland, Indiana, plead guilty on 5/5/10, before Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to count 1 of an indictment charging him with knowingly engaging in the business of dealing in explosive materials without a license. In June and July 2008, Massengill unlawfully dealt at least 200 one-half stick explosive materials in Gary, Indiana. Sentencing has been set for July 27, 2010. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives and the Porter County Bomb Squad, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter.

George Andrews, 25, of Gary, Indiana, plead guilty on 5/6/10, before Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to count 1 of an indictment charging him with knowingly and intentionally possessing with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of marijuana. Sentencing has been set for July 16, 2010. This case was investigated by GRIT and the Indiana State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Ratcliffe.

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.

The specific sentence in each case to be imposed upon conviction will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.