Charlestown man gets 15-month prison sentence for lies during firearm purchases
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Todd Wilson, 52, to 15 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
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When will the federal judge vacancy be filled in Indiana’s Southern District?
Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson assumed senior status in July. But there has been no nominee announced to fill her vacancy on the district court, and there won’t be one this year.
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Vacancy looms as federal judge heads toward senior status
It’s taken a little longer than expected for the Biden Administration to announce a nominee for the Indiana Southern District Court’s impending vacancy.
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Filling the robes: Nominations still pending for Indiana district, appellate vacancies
Of all the current Indiana judicial nominees, Magistrate Judge Joshua Kolar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana is the farthest along on his route to fill a vacancy.
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‘Passing the baton’: Pratt family features 3 generations of Black attorneys, 2 generations of judges
Lena Pratt Sanders, the Marion Circuit Court magistrate judge, has continued her family’s legal legacy of three generations of Black attorneys in Indianapolis — and has now started the family’s second generation of judges.
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Articles
Federal courts maintain business as usual, but larger impacts loom if government shutdown drags on
The federal court system said it is working to determine if paid operations can be sustained through Oct. 17.
Man gets 35 years in federal prison for sex crimes against child
U.S. District Judge Richard Young sentenced Carlos Granados, 35, to 35 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
Federal court halts Hoosier National Forest project, citing inadequate analysis of Lake Monroe impacts
A federal judge has temporarily halted the U.S. Forest Service’s Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project, ruling that the agency violated federal law again by failing to adequately analyze the project’s potential impact on Lake Monroe.
Domestic abuser found guilty of fourth illegal entry into the United States
A man convicted of domestic abuse who has been removed from the United States on four separate occasions was found guilty by a federal jury Sept. 10 of illegal reentry of a removed alien.
Tell City man gets prison time after stealing nearly $160K from Evansville bank employer
U.S. District Judge Richard Young sentenced Dekoda Clark, 32, to 2.5 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to bank theft and access device fraud.
Evansville man sentenced to 20 years in prison for meth/fentanyl trafficking
U.S. District Judge Matthew Brookman sentenced Troy Ogburn, 44, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Hispanic Heritage Month CLE program to focus on Indy’s historic ‘El Barrio’ neighborhood
El Barrio was the city’s first known Hispanic neighborhood, which was razed in the 1960s to make way for the city’s interstate system.
Vote.org sues founder/former CEO for defamation, alleges smear campaign
Vote.org, a nonprofit voter registration organization, is suing its founder and former CEO over what the group claims is an alleged smear campaign she’s led against the organization since she was fired in 2019.
Lebanon man gets 40 years in prison for sex crimes against minor
U.S. District Judge James Hanlon sentenced Douglas Gibson, 40, to 40 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor and committing a felony offense while required to register as a sex offender.
Three men face prison time for COVID-era unemployment pay fraud
U.S. District Judge James Hanlon sentenced the men to federal prison for their roles in the theft of more than $500,000 in unemployment benefits through debit card fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indianapolis men get lengthy prison terms for Speedway armed robbery
U.S. District Judge James Hanlon.sentenced John Rice, 45, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and possessing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
ACLU appeals dismissal of IU professor’s lawsuit over Indiana’s ‘intellectual diversity’ law
The ACLU argues the law is a clear violation of the free speech protections of the First Amendment and the guarantee of due process in the Fourteenth Amendment.
Pair of Indianapolis fentanyl traffickers receive lengthy federal prison sentences
Richard Garner III, 38, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Anderson man gets 5+ years in prison for impersonating Homeland Security officer, possessing homemade bombs
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. sentenced Joshua Stearman, 42, to 65 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the Indiana Southern District’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Kokomo woman gets 18 months in federal prison after violating terms of previous animal cruelty sentence
U.S. District Magistrate Judge Tim Baker sentenced Krystal Scott, 24, to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to violating conditions of her previous supervised release.
Indy man sentenced to 30 years in prison for string of armed robberies
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Javonte Smith, 34, of Indianapolis, to 30 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Noblesville man gets 15 years in prison after convictions for child porn
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Cody Todd Cox, 38, to 15 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Florida man found guilty in cargo theft ring that stole over $5M in goods in Indiana and nearby
Authorities say the group carried out at least 14 separate cargo thefts that included over $2 million in Oculus virtual reality headsets from a Meta facility, $940,000 in Microsoft products, $1 million in Bath & Body Works and much more.
Indianapolis man gets 8 years in prison after setting IndyGo bus on fire
Chief U.S. District Judge Judge James Sweeney II sentenced Demarcus McCloud, 46, to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of malicious damage to property receiving federal funds and one count of malicious damage to federal property.