Week in Review—Hammond

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

Pleas:

• David Gertz, 45, of Hebron, Indiana, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offenses of fraud and false statements. Sentencing has been set for March 20, 2013. These charges were filed as a result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randall Stewart.
• Nathan Elmore, 22, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offenses of robbery and aiding and abetting. These charges were filed as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the East Chicago Police Department, the Gary Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, and the Merrillville Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dean Lanter and Jennifer Chang-Adiga.

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:

• Adnan Shatat, 57, of Crown Point, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 41 months’ imprisonment, restitution of $1,436,000 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of wire fraud. According to the sentencing memorandum filed in this case, Shatat was permanently debarred by the USDA from participating in the food stamp program in April 2005 because he was trafficking food stamps, i.e., buying food stamps for cash at a store he owned and operated in Chicago, Illinois. In 2006, Shatat opened a restaurant/mini mart called Blue Ribbon. In order to circumvent the debarment, Shatat recruited his son, Alla Shatat, to submit an application to obtain USDA authorization to accept food stamps by identifying himself as the owner of the Blue Ribbon. Adnan Shatat controlled the day-to-day operation of Blue Ribbon, including when and how food stamp recipients were able to sell their benefits for cash and the submission of food stamp redemptions to USDA. This case was the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Internal Revenue Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane Berkowitz.
• Jawan Cobbs, 23, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 30 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to the sentencing memorandum filed in this case, Cobbs was a passenger in a car stopped by the Gary Police Department. During the traffic stop, officers recovered a loaded Lorcin .38 caliber semi-automatic firearm from the glovebox. Officers also recovered a second magazine from the backseat area of the vehicle. The magazine was loaded with .38 caliber ammunition. Cobbs was on probation for a robbery conviction at the time of his arrest. This case was the result of an investigation by the by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Gary Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas Padilla and Dean Lanter.
• Marcell Seawood, 28, of Gary, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Crawford et al., was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 60 months’ imprisonment and four years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of marijuana. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gary Bell and Jacqueline Jacobs.
• Rigoberto Banuelos, 47, of Lynwood, Illinois, a defendant in the case U.S. v Crawford et al., was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 70 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell and Jacqueline Jacobs.
• Charles Webb, 38, of East Chicago, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 63 months’ imprisonment and four years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession with the intent to distribute and distribute crack cocaine, cocaine and marijuana. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the East Chicago Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.
• Danial Arnett, 34, of Lake Village, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Humphrey et al., was sentenced by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to 24 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jacqueline Jacobs and Jennifer Chang-Adiga.