Week in Review—South Bend

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

Dispositions:

• Harold Snyder, 20, of Bremen, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Christopher A. Nuechterlein to 6 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor offense of obstructing the mail. According to documents filed in this case, during November and December 2012, Snyder was a mail carrier and stole gift cards and cash from the mail. This case was the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jesse Barrett.
• Tyran Lenard, 24, of South Bend, Indiana was sentenced by District Judge Jon E. DeGuilio to 24 months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to documents filed in this case, while investigating a domestic dispute, law enforcement officers discovered firearms in Lenard’s possession. Lenard has a 2011 conviction involving false statements and two misdemeanor convictions involving criminal conversion and resisting law enforcement. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Grimmer.
• Adam Snyder, 28, of Warsaw, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Robert Miller, Jr. to 60 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of child pornography. According to documents filed in this case, in February 2013, Snyder used a peer-to-peer system known as Frostwire to download numerous images and videos that depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Snyder had been downloading the material for years. This case resulted from an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the United States Secret Service and the Kosciuscko County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Maciejczyk.
• Melvin Hillman, 77, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Jon DeGuilio to two years of supervised probation after being found guilty of the felony offense of impersonating foreign diplomats, consuls, or officers; wrongful use of government seals and instruments; and receipt of a counterfeit government seal. According to documents filed in this case, in October 2011, local law enforcement pulled over a van with suspicious license plates. Police stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Hillman. Hillman led police to believe he was a foreign diplomat from the country of Mu’ur Republic, a country that was determined to be non-existent. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ken Hays.