Michigan City Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison

SOUTH BEND – Eugene Dawson, 42 years old, of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Dawson was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, between January and February 2023, Dawson brokered the sale of a 9mm firearm to an individual in exchange for $650 dollars.  He also provided cocaine to that individual during the firearm transaction.  On two other dates, additional drug transactions took place.  A search warrant was later executed on Dawson’s home where additional cocaine and marijuana was found in an area accessible to children, under 18, who were in the home.  Dawson was previously convicted of selling cocaine in LaPorte County Superior Court, a felony, and as such, was prohibited from possessing the firearm in this case. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Michigan City Police Department, the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department, and the LaPorte City Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katelan M. Doyle.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.