If convicted, each defendant charged faces up to ten years in federal prison.
INDIANAPOLIS – Fifteen individuals have been charged in a federal indictment alleging a conspiracy to straw purchase dozens of firearms from at least six federally licensed firearms dealers in the Central Indiana area.
Each of the following defendants have been charged with conspiring to make false statements during the purchase of a firearm, and one or more counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm:
- Daylen Bell, 24, Indianapolis
- Jaylyn Lamont Crenshaw, 25, Indianapolis
- Michaela Evan Day, 27, Indianapolis
- Michael Glen Day, 23, Indianapolis
- Davone Trae Eans, 24, Indianapolis
- Kendall Rayshaun Ezell, 21, Indianapolis
- Anthony Keith Jones, 24, Indianapolis
- Isiah Thomas Keller, 21, Greenfield
- Anthony James Morst, 24, Indianapolis
- Caleb Morris Redman, 23, Indianapolis
- Jordan Devon Ross, 24, Gary
- Derrion Wisdom Scruggs, 23, Unknown
- Michael Coreal Stubbs, 22, Indianapolis
- Demetrius Andre Young, 24, Indianapolis
- Jalen Charles Zimmerman, 23, Indianapolis
According to court documents, from at least November 2020, continuing up to April 8, 2022, Keller, Stubbs, Ezell, Michael Day, and Jones conspired to pay straw purchasers to buy illegally guns from at least six Central Indiana federally licensed firearms dealers on their behalf. This form of gun trafficking is frequently referred to as “straw purchasing.” Straw purchasing occurs when a person who is allowed to legally purchase a gun from a federally licensed dealer falsely states that they are purchasing a firearm for themselves, when they know that the gun is actually intended for someone else.
Keller, Stubbs, Ezell, Michael Day, and Jones paid Redman, Scruggs, Bell, Morst, Ross, Zimmerman, Michaela Day, Eans, Crenshaw, and Young to make straw purchases from federally licensed gun dealers. Keller, Stubbs, Ezell, Michael Day, and Jones then transported the illegally purchased guns to resell them elsewhere.
If convicted, each defendant charged faces up to ten years in federal prison.
The following investigative agencies collaborated to make this investigation and the recent warrant execution possible:
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
- Greenfield Police Department
- Hancock County Sheriff’s Office
- Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
- Lawrence Police Department
- United States Marshals Service
Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, thanked Assistant United States Attorney Pamela Domash, who is prosecuting this case.
This case was brought as part of the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force (ICGTF). ICGTF is a partnership of law enforcement officers and analysts from several central Indiana law enforcement agencies in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, Johnson, and Shelby counties. In cooperation with state, local, and federal partners, ICGTF collaborates to address violent crime through a comprehensive strategy including innovative approaches to locating suspects and evidence related to violent crimes and illegal possession of firearms.
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.
An indictment or criminal complaint are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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