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Press Release

Week In Review – Hammond

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Indiana


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Mary Hatton

www.usdoj.gov/usao/inn/ CELL: (219) 314-9993

mary.hatton@usdoj.gov

Hammond, Indiana - The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following activity in Federal Court:

The following Indictments were returned on August 22, 2013:

Antoine McClain, 31, of East Chicago, Indiana, was charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.This charge was filed as the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives HIDTA Task Force and the East Chicago Police Department.This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.

Turrell Anderson, 41, of East Chicago, Indiana, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.This charge was filed as the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the East Chicago Police Department.This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas McGrath.

Javante Toran, 21, of Hammond, Indiana, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.This charge was filed as the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.

The United States Attorney's Office emphasized that an Indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

PLEAS:

Lamar Johnson, 26, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of transportation of a minor with the intent that she engage in prostitution.This case resulted from an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.

Tajuan Allen, 37, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Chief Judge Philip Simon to the felony offense of selling loaded firearms to a felon.Sentencing has been set for 11/19/13.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives HIDTA Task Force.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.

Tyrone Benson, 38, of Hammond, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior District Judge James Moody to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration HIDTA Task Force.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.

Manuel Montalvo, 39, of East Chicago, Indiana, pled guilty before District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to the felony offense of filing a false tax return.Sentencing has been set for 11/5/13.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell.

Tiana Williams, 19, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior District Judge James Moody to the felony offense of making false statements in the acquisition of a firearm.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives HIDTA Task Force and the Lake County Police Department.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.

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:

Eugene Baber, Jr., 29, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 42 months imprisonment and 2 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives HIDTA Task Force and the Gary Police Department.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacqueline Jacobs.

Chanel Bandy, 35, of Merrillville, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 2 years of probation after pleading guilty to the felony offense of assisting in the preparation of false/fraudulent tax returns.According to documents filed by the government, Bandy worked for Quick Sam Tax Refund and was encouraged to and did prepare and file fraudulent tax returns to obtain grossly inflated refunds for her clients, to bring in business and fees for her employer, and to obtain cash tips for her own financial gain.Losses directly tied to Bandy’s preparation of fraudulent tax returns as of the date of her guilty plea was $87,784. This case was the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.

Joseph Jamal Smith, 20, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 24 months imprisonment and 2 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.According to documents filed by the government, Smith has a prior conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. 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 Thomas McGrath.

Luis Yanez, 41, of Lorain, Ohio, was sentenced by Senior District Judge James Moody to 46 months imprisonment and 2 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.

Updated April 30, 2015