Fort Wayne, Indiana —The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following activity in federal court:

Pleas (before Magistrate Judge Roger B. Cosbey):

• Beau A. Eldridge, 28, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, pled guilty to the felony offense of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The magistrate is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea. Parties have 14 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Fort Wayne Police Department. Sentencing has not been set. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lovita Morris-King.
• James B. Nelson, 32, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, pled guilty to the felony offense of possessing with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of LSD. The magistrate is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea. Parties have 14 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Fort Wayne Police Department, Indiana State Police, and the Allen County Police Department. Sentencing has not been set. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tina Nommay.

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 (before District Judge Theresa L. Springmann):

• Maria Patricia Herrera, 52, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced to time served and one year supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. According to documents filed in this case, Herrera was part of a network to distribute cocaine. She also assisted in destruction of incriminating evidence of drug dealing. This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Fort Wayne Safe Streets Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Fort Wayne Safe Streets Task Force is composed of FBI agents and officers from the Indiana State Police, Allen County Police Department, and Fort Wayne Police Department. The New Haven Police Department, Steuben County Sheriff’s Department, Elkhart County Interdiction and Covert Enforcement Unit, South Bend Police Department, and IMAGE Drug Task Force assisted with this investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley Miller-Lowery.
• Rico J. Parrish, 28, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment and two years’ 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, on May 17, 2013, Fort Wayne police officers performed a traffic stop of a vehicle whose passengers included Parrish. Officers recovered a .45 caliber Glock pistol. During the inventory search prior to tow, officers located a Llama 9mm pistol handgun under the front edge of the front passenger seat. After being taken into custody, Parrish admitted to purchasing and owning the Llama firearm. Parrish also admitted that he had placed the firearm underneath the front passenger seat earlier that day prior to being stopped by the Fort Wayne Police Department. Parrish is a convicted felon. He has a prior conviction of carrying a handgun without a license on August 1, 2011, in Allen County, Indiana. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Fort Wayne Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Geller.