South Bend Man Convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

SOUTH BEND –Late yesterday, Leontis Cornelius, 43 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was found guilty after a 2-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty against Cornelius on two counts of the Superseding Indictment for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the South Bend Police Department.  This trial was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome W. McKeever and Katelan McKenzie Doyle.

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.