Indianapolis Man Sentenced to Over 20 Years in Federal Prison After Being Found Guilty of Trafficking Methamphetamine and Fentanyl; Illegally Possessing Firearms

INDIANAPOLIS- Steven Lamar Brown, 42, of Indianapolis has been sentenced to 246 months in federal prison. In June of 2023, a federal jury found Brown guilty of seven felony charges: five counts of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, between September 2020, and February of 2021, Brown was observed and recorded on video and audio selling more than fifty grams of methamphetamine on three separate occasions. On the recordings Brown can be clearly seen and heard weighing drugs and counting the money he received in exchange.

On February 23, 2021, IMPD officers attempted to stop Brown in his car to arrest him, but Brown refused to comply. Officers eventually stopped Brown, searched his vehicle, and found a loaded .380 caliber pistol in the glove box.

Later that day, law enforcement, including Task Force Officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration and IMPD officers, conducted a court-authorized search of Brown’s residence. Inside, throughout the house, they found a trove of illegal drugs, tools of the drug trade, Brown’s personal documents, and eight firearms, including three assault rifles, four handguns, and a shotgun:

Brown has multiple prior convictions for felony offenses, including robbery, for which he was on parole when he committed these federal crimes. As a result of those convictions, Brown is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

“This violent felon sold fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs in our community—all while illegally armed to the teeth,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Every neighborhood deserves to be safe from criminals dealing deadly drugs and armed with deadly weapons. I commend the DEA, IMPD, and our federal prosecutors for their efforts to hold this defendant accountable and take him off our streets. The two-decade prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that these very serious crimes carry very serious consequences.”

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers, Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Indianapolis Field Office, and Chief of IMPD, Randal Taylor, made the announcement.

The DEA and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James R. Sweeney II. Judge Sweeney also ordered that Brown be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years following his release from federal prison and pay a $500 fine.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Pamela S. Domash and Jayson W. McGrath, who prosecuted this case.

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.

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