United States Attorney David Capp

Northern District of Indiana

M01-204 S. Main Street

South Bend, IN 46601

Hammond                                                 South Bend                                               Fort Wayne

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         CONTACT: Mary L. Hatton May 13, 2011                                                                                     PHONE: (219) 937-5603 www.usdoj.gov/usao/inn/                                                                   Fax: (219) 852-2770WEEK IN REVIEW-FEDERAL COURT

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

Thomas Coffin, 32, of Plymouth, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Christopher Neuchterlein to count one of an indictment charging him with manufacture of methamphetamine. Sentencing has been set for 8/4/11. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Schaffer.

Samuel Merriweather, 36, of South Bend, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Christopher Neuchterlein to count two of an indictment charging him with unlawful transport of firearms. Sentencing has been set for 8/10/11. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald Schmid.

Denis Vilchez, 34, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Jon DeGuilio to 77 months imprisonment and 2 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to count one of an indictment charging him with reentry of a deported alien. This case was the result of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Maciejczyk.

Lisa Elie, 43, of Mishawaka, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Robert Miller, Jr. to 2 years of probation after pleading guilty to count one of an indictment charging her with theft of government funds. Elie was ordered to pay $6,938.00 in restitution to the Social Security Administration. This case was the result of an investigation by the Social Security Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Maciejczyk.

Garrett Weber, 31, of Bristol, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Jon DeGuilio to 1 day - time served imprisonment, 15 months of home detention, and 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to count one of an Information charging him with bank fraud. Weber was ordered to pay restitution of $8,651.27. This case was the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Schaffer.

Bruce A. Davis, 19, of Goshen, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Christopher Neuchterlein to count two of an indictment charging him with receipt and possession of stolen firearms. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald Schmid.

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.