Week in Review—Hammond

HAMMOND, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following:

Pleas:

• Brandon Patterson, 29, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of distribution of crack cocaine. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.

• Leonard Hernandez-Torres, 36, of Chicago, Illinois, pled guilty before Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to the felony offense of conspiracy to distribute heroin. Sentencing has been set for July 16, 2012. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and ICE-Homeland Security Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.

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:

• Angela Thomas, 43, of Dolton, Illinois, was sentenced by Judge Rudy Lozano to two years of probation, including 12 months of home detention, after pleading guilty to the felony offense of making false statements to a United States Postal Inspector. This case was the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Toi Houston.
• Juan Marquez, 35, of East Chicago, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 6 months’ imprisonment with time considered served after pleading guilty to the felony offense of illegal re-entry of a deported alien. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration HIDTA Task Force and ICE-Homeland Security Investigations. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chang-Adiga.
• Marvin Keyes, 28, of Indianapolis, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Land et al., was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 57 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession with the intent to distribute heroin. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Kerkhof and Jacqueline Jacobs.
• Michael Hayes, 27, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Rudy Lozano to one year of probation after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin. While on probation, Hayes will serve six months of home detention. 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.
• Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter, 61, of Merrillville, Indiana, a defendant in the case U.S. v Haymon et al., was sentenced by Judge Rudy Lozano to 15 months’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of wire fraud in a mortgage fraud scheme. Drago-Hunter was a top administrator for the city of Gary, Indiana, holding the title director of community development. According to the plea agreement filed in this case, Drago-Hunter admitted that she schemed with Jerry Haymon to defraud lenders and others to obtain money by providing false information on loan applications and HUD-1 settlement statements. Drago-Hunter was ordered to pay $87,942 in restitution. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell.
• Erica Douglas, 23, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Rudy Lozano to 18 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and 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.