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Date: 11-07-2018
Case Style:
United States of America v. Michael Cruz
Case Number: 2:17-cr-00167-PPS-APR
Judge: Philip P Simon
Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (Lake County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: Thomas M. McGrath
Defendant's Attorney: Claudia Traficante
Description:
Hammond, IN - Illinois Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison
For Possession With Intent To Distribute Heroin
Michael Cruz, 39, of Wheeling, Illinois, was sentenced before District Court Judge Philip P. Simon on his plea to possession with intent to distribute heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Cruz received a sentence of 57 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents filed in this case, DEA agents used a confidential source to negotiate with Michael Cruz and co-defendant Rigoberto Ortiz-Dominguez, for the purchase of kilograms of heroin on November 16, 2017. Cruz informed the confidential source that a courier would deliver the heroin later that same day. The courier was Ortiz-Dominguez. Hammond Police stopped both Cruz and Ortiz-Dominguez on their way to deliver the heroin. During a search of Ortiz-Dominguez’s car, police found 3.06 kilograms of heroin in a hidden compartment. Co-defendant Ortiz-Dominguez was sentenced to 51 months in prison on July 2018.
This case was investigated by the DEA Indiana HIDTA Task Force with the assistance of the Hammond Police Department.
Charge:
21:841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A) POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE MORE THAN ONE KILOGRAM OF HEROIN AND 18:2 AIDING AND ABETTING
(1)
Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 57 months' in prison.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: