United States Attorney David Capp

Northern District of Indiana

5400 Federal Plaza, Suite 1500

Hammond, Indiana 46320

Hammond                                                 South Bend                                               Fort Wayne

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         CONTACT: Mary L. Hatton

March 19, 2010                                                                                   PHONE: (219) 937-5500

www.usdoj.gov/usao/inn/                                                                    Fax: (219) 852-2770 

ACTIVITY IN FEDERAL COURT - HAMMOND

Hammond, Indiana—The United States Attorney's Office announced:

Orinthian Pharms, 33, of Lafayette, Indiana, was sentenced on 3/19/10 before Judge Rudy Lozano to 77 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, to wit: a Maadi, Model MISR 7.62x39 millimeter, semi-automatic rifle loaded with 28 rounds of ammunition. Pharms was convicted of carrying a handgun without a license in 2003. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean Lanter.

David Lee Runyon, 35, of Hammond, Indiana, plead guilty on 3/18/10 before Senior Judge James Moody to being a felon in possession of a firearm, to wit: a Taurus .25 caliber firearm. Runyan was convicted of robbery and burglary in 1996. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.

Susan Yamashita, 36, of Center Township, Indiana, plead guilty on 3/18/10 before Senior Judge James Moody to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute heroin. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Porter County Drug Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.

Karen Snelling, 50, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on 3/18/10 by Judge Robert Miller, Jr., to 3 years of probation with 6 months of home detention after pleading guilty to theft of union funds. Snelling was also order to pay $18,100 in restitution. Snelling was the Treasurer of the Gary Newspaper Guild from January 2000 through September 2008. This case was investigated by the Department of Labor, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jesse Barrett.

The specific sentence in each case to be imposed upon conviction will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.