United States Attorney David Capp

Northern District of Indiana

M01-204 S. Main Street

South Bend, Indiana 46601

Hammond South Bend Fort Wayne

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Mary L. Hatton

June 8, 2012 PHONE: (219) 937-5500

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

WEEK IN REVIEW – SOUTH BEND

South Bend, Indiana -- The United States Attorney’s Office announced that:

PLEAS:

Ø Rogelio Beltran, 27, of Elkhart, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Robert Miller, Jr. to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances including marijuana and cocaine. Sentencing has been set for 10/29/12. 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 William Grimmer.

Ø Octavio Betancourt-Mendoza, 38, of Elkhart, Indiana, a defendant in the case US v Beltran et al., pled guilty before Judge Robert Miller, Jr. to the felony offense of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, including marijuana and cocaine. Sentencing has been set for 10/30/12. 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 William Grimmer.

Ø Mario Carrillo, 49, of South Bend, Indiana, a defendant in the case US v Beltran et al., pled guilty before Judge Robert Miller, Jr. to the felony offense of distribution of cocaine. Sentencing has been set for 9/10/12. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration HIDTA Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Grimmer.

Ø Alejandro Leon, 32, of South Bend, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Christopher Nuechterlein to the felony offense of distribution of cocaine and making false statements on Form I-9. Magistrate Nuechterlein is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea. Parties have 10 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. Sentencing has been set for 9/14/12. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by ICE - Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Grimmer.

Ø Bryan Knight, 42, of Osceola, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Christopher Nuechterlein to the felony offense of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud. Magistrate Nuechterlein is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea. Parties have 10 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. Sentencing has been set for 9/6/12. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald Schmid.

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:

Ø Nicole Garcia, 29, of Argos, Indiana, a defendant in the case US v Beard et al., was sentenced by Judge Jon DeGuilio to 41 months imprisonment and 4 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of manufacture of controlled substances including a mixture which contained over 50 grams of methamphetamine. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Indiana State Police and the Plymouth Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Schaffer.

Ø Franklin Hibshman, Jr., 23, of Cromwell, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Robert Miller, Jr. to 12 months imprisonment and 2 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of failure to surrender for service of sentence on his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the plea agreement filed by the government in this case, Hibshman had been convicted of a firearm offense and was ordered by Judge Miller in that cause to surrender on June 13, 2011, to serve his sentence. He did not surrender to the Marshall’s Office or the institution of designation on June 13, 2011. He was arrested by the Marshall’s several months later in a home in Cromwell, Indiana. This case was the result of an investigation by the United States Marshal's Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Schaffer.

Ø David P. Rossi, 44, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was sentenced by Judge Jon DeGuilio to 103 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. According to the plea agreement, Rossi was convicted of high speed recklessness in Florida and sentenced to 3 years. After this conviction, he stole two handguns from the Big R store in Wabash, Indiana. 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 John Maciejczyk.