Week in Review—Hammond

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

Pleas:

• Michael Hostetler, 29, of Portage, Indiana, pled guilty before District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to the felony offenses of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Sentencing has been set for January 21, 2013. This case resulted from an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
• Jose Luis Reyes-Zuniga, 31, of Hammond, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior District Judge James Moody to the felony offense of fraudulent use of a Social Security number. These charges were filed as a result of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Philip Benson.
• Brian Levesque, 27, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine. Sentencing has been set for March 22, 2013. These charges were filed as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.
• Leon Thomas, 38, of Chesterton, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Christopher Nuechterlein to the felony offense of aggravated identity theft. Magistrate Nuechterlein is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea. Parties have 10 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. Sentencing has been set for March 15, 2013. These charges were filed as a result of an investigation by the Department of Labor. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Barbara Brook.

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:

• Christine Roth, 22, of Chesterton, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v King et al., was sentenced by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to 20 months’ imprisonment and two 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 Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.
• Luiz Gamboa-Chavez, 33, of Gary, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Fernando-Valdez et al., was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 60 months’ imprisonment and four years of supervised release if not subject to deportation after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. According to the sentencing memorandum filed in this case, Gamboa-Chavez and two co-defendants were involved in running a sophisticated marijuana grow operation at a residence in Gary, Indiana. Upon executing a federal search warrant, agents recovered 493 marijuana plants with root systems. Agents also discovered an intricate lighting and irrigation system in place inside the residence. 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.
• Aaron Montoya Gonzalez, 31, of Pasadena, Texas, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 30 months’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession with the intent to distribute and distribute marijuana. According to the sentencing memorandum filed in this case, Montoya Gonzalez, who was recruited into the criminal activity by his uncle and co-conspirator, Manueal Gonzalez, played a minor role in a large-scale narcotics trafficking organization. He was arrested after he assisted in transferring marijuana from Texas to Indiana. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.
• Alejandro Briseno, 21, of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 36 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of accessory after the fact. Briseno pled to an Information charging that he assisted Juan Briseno and Galo Feliciano in order to hinder their prosecution in the case U.S. v Juan Briseno et al. This case was the result of an investigation by the by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.