Elkhart Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison

SOUTH BEND – Steven Lerma, III, 25 years old, of Elkhart, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.

Lerma was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 18 months of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, police found Lerma in possession of a handgun with an extended magazine that held 32 rounds of ammunition. Lerma had previously been convicted of felony theft of a firearm and felony domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury and was thus prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Elkhart Police Department and the Goshen Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katelan McKenzie 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.