U.S. Department
of Justice
Federal Firearms Prosecutions Result in 11 Convictions, 23 Guns Recovered
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA- The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana has secured prison sentences for eleven convicted felons who illegally possessed firearms, removing twenty‑three unlawfully held guns from the streets of Indianapolis and Evansville. Each prosecution stemmed from a separate investigation and was individually resolved in January and February 2026.
| Defendant | Sentence | Prior Convictions |
| Lanel Marvis Wimberly, 33, of Evansville | 4 years, 3 months’ imprisonment 2 years supervised release | Domestic Battery; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon; Robbery |
| Christopher Jackson, 46, of Indianapolis | 4 years, 4 months’ imprisonment 3 years supervised release | Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated x2; Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury x2; Criminal Confinement |
| Zachary Daniels, 32 of Indianapolis | 9 years’ imprisonment 3 years supervised release | Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon; Resisting Law Enforcement; Criminal Recklessness; Unlawful Possession of a Syringe; Dealing in a Narcotic Drug and Methamphetamine |
| Darrin Powell, 56, of Evansville | 6.5 years’ imprisonment 2 years supervised release | Aggravated Battery |
| James Montgomery Jr., 21, of Indianapolis | 2 years, 5 months’ imprisonment 3 years supervised release | Theft |
| Anthony Bricest, 23, of Jeffersonville, IN | 5 years, 3 months’ imprisonment 3 years supervised release | Possession of an altered firearm; Battery x3; Invasion of Privacy x2; |
| Jake Fuchs, 31, of Evansville | 6 years, 8 months’ imprisonment 2 years supervised release | Possession of Methamphetamine; Unlawful Carrying a Firearm after a Felony Conviction |
| Antonio Harrell, 27, of Evansville | 3 years, 10 months’ imprisonment 3 years supervised release | Burglary; Theft; Theft of a Firearm |
| Cornelius Cooper III, 24, of Carlisle, IN | 11 years, 8 months’ imprisonment 3 years supervised release | Armed Robbery; Battery Resulting in Moderate Bodily Injury |
| Samuel Paige, 40, of Indianapolis | 3 years, 4 months’ imprisonment 3 years supervised release | Attempted Robbery; Attempted Assault and Criminal Possession of a Weapon |
| Thomas Michael Kirsch, 45, of Reed, KY | 6 years’ imprisonment 3 years’ supervised release | Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon; Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Dealing Methamphetamine |
As part of these investigations, the following firearms were seized and forfeited by law enforcement:
- Smith & Wesson SD40
- Canik 9 mm semiautomatic pistol
- Glock model 30 .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol
- Del-Ton Sport rifle
- Mossberg International 715T .22 long rifle
- Mossberg Maverick Model 88 12-gauge shotgun
- (2) Century Arms, Micro Draco, one with extended magazine
- Springfield Armory 9mm pistol
- Rossi RS22 rifle
- Mossberg 500A shotgun
- Eagle Arms EA-15 rifle
- (2) 9mm Glock semiautomatic pistols, one with extended magazine
- Freedom Ordinance, FX-9, 9mm pistol
- Smith and Wesson, 9mm semiautomatic
- Taurus, Model G2C, 9mm semi-automatic
- Glock 9mm handgun with an extended magazine (stolen)
- Lorcin 9 mm handgun
- Sig Sauer P320 handgun
- Sig Sauer P365 handgun
- SCCY CPX-1 handgun
- Taurus G3 9mm handgun
- Assorted ammunition and magazines
According to federal law, individuals with prior felony convictions are prohibited from legally possessing a firearm.
“Felons who illegally arm themselves are far more likely to use those guns to hurt someone or to escalate everyday conflicts into deadly violence,” said Tom Wheeler, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “When we remove firearms from people with violent criminal histories, we are preventing future shootings, protecting families, and strengthening the safety of every neighborhood in this district. These convictions send a clear message: if you are a prohibited person and you pick up a gun, federal prison will follow.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI Indianapolis, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Forest Service, Indiana State Police, IMPD, and the Evansville Police Department investigated these cases. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judges Matthew P. Brookman, Tanya Walton Pratt, Richard L. Young, Sarah Evans Barker, and Chief Judge James R. Sweeney II.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Kemper, Kelsey Massa, Pamela Domash, Nate Walter, Todd Shellenbarger, and Lauren Wheatley, who prosecuted these cases.
These cases are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Crossroads of America comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Services, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Indiana National Guard, Indiana State Police, HIDTA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and Plainfield Police Department, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.