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 handed down 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 announcement came from Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Court documents revealed that Cornelius had firearms on two separate occasions. In May 2020, he engaged in a shootout outside his residence, firing seven .45 caliber rounds at a moving vehicle. Then, in June 2021, he was found carrying a loaded rifle with a large capacity magazine in another person's yard during the night. His previous felony convictions include discharging a firearm toward a building, assault with a dangerous weapon, and drug-related offenses involving cocaine, all of which legally barred him from possessing firearms.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from local law enforcement agencies including the South Bend Police Department and the St. Joseph County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome W. McKeever and Katelan McKenzie Doyle prosecuted the case.
This legal action is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement and communities. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy for PSN focusing on fostering community trust and legitimacy, supporting preventive community-based organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating outcomes.