U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson | U.S. Department of Justice
Kendrick D. Bates, a 40-year-old resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been sentenced to 360 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after a jury found Bates guilty of distributing methamphetamine, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and maintaining a drug-involved premises. This information was announced by United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Court documents reveal that Bates distributed methamphetamine in late 2021 and operated a drug distribution house from September 2021 through March 2022. During a search of his residence in March 2022, authorities recovered several firearms. Due to Bates's previous felony conviction for dealing in cocaine, narcotic drugs, or methamphetamine, he was prohibited from possessing the firearms.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Wayne Safe Streets Gang Task Force and the Fort Wayne Police Department. They were assisted by the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s North Central Laboratory, the Fort Wayne Police Laboratory, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony W. Geller and Teresa L Ashcraft prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation aimed at identifying and dismantling high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations using a multi-agency approach involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Additionally, this case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which seeks to reduce violent crime and gun violence while fostering trust within communities. On May 26, 2021, an enhanced strategy for PSN was launched focusing on community trust building and strategic enforcement priorities.
