Gary Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison

HAMMOND- Fredrick Jenkins, 39, of Gary, Indiana was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Jenkins was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, on June 23, 2021, Jenkins sold cocaine to an undercover officer.  After the transaction, Jenkins was arrested, and from his person, law enforcement recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol.  During an interview, Jenkins admitted to possessing the firearm for protection during the sale of cocaine.  Jenkins’ criminal history revealed he had prior felony convictions for possessing a controlled substance and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.     

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.   This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Padilla, with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas R. Mahoney.      

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.