SOUTH BEND — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.

SOUTH BEND – Kevin Ellis, 41 years old, of Mishawaka, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.


Ellis was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, police conducted a traffic stop on a car that Ellis was driving and found a loaded gun with a large capacity magazine, fentanyl pills, methamphetamine pills, marijuana, and a digital scale. Police then executed a search warrant on Ellis’s house in Mishawaka and found more fentanyl and methamphetamine pills. Ellis was a felon and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm. His criminal history includes a prior federal firearms conviction.

“Kevin Ellis admitted that he illegally possessed a gun,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Proctor.  “He also admitted that he possessed, and planned to distribute, some of the most dangerous drugs available.  His case shows that those exposing the citizens of this District to such dangers will suffer the consequences.  I thank all the public servants involved in this case for bringing it to a just end.”

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Mishawaka Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lydia T. Lucius.

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.