Clifford D. Johnson, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana
Leontis Cornelius, a 44-year-old resident of South Bend, Indiana, has been sentenced to 97 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. This decision was made by United States District Court Senior Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after Cornelius was found guilty on two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The conviction followed a two-day jury trial in 2023, as announced by Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Court documents reveal that Cornelius possessed firearms on two separate occasions. In May 2020, he was involved in a shootout outside his residence where he discharged seven .45 caliber rounds at a moving vehicle. A subsequent incident occurred in June 2021 when he carried a loaded rifle with a large capacity magazine while on another person's property during the night. Cornelius's criminal history includes multiple felony convictions such as discharging a firearm toward a building, assault with a dangerous weapon, and drug-related offenses including delivery/manufacturing and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. These prior convictions legally prohibited him from possessing firearms.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with support from local law enforcement agencies including the South Bend Police Department, the St. Joseph County Police Department, and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome W. McKeever and Katelan McKenzie Doyle prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021, emphasizing community trust and legitimacy, support for community-based violence prevention organizations, strategic enforcement priorities, and results measurement.
