SOUTH BEND - United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, David Capp, announced that Derek Fields, 30, of South Bend, Indiana was found guilty, after a 3-day jury trial, of kidnapping, transmitting a ransom demand, discharging a weapon during a crime of violence and felon in possession of a firearm. He is the last of three co-defendants to be tried in this matter. Ivan Brazier was convicted on July 13, 2016 of kidnapping and extortion and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14, 2016. Lindani Mzembe was convicted on Aug. 24, 2016 of kidnapping, extortion, felon in possession, and use of a firearm in a crime of violence, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1, 2016.
According to documents filed in this case, Fields and his codefendants possessed firearms as felons to unlawfully confine or kidnap an individual against their will and demanded a ransom for that individual. A firearm was discharged, hitting the victim, during the kidnapping.
This case was prosecuted as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Federal Bureau of Investigation; South Bend Police Department and the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John M. Maciejczyk and Joel Gabrielse.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
