Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Armed Felon Sentenced to Over 6 Years in Federal Prison
INDIANAPOLIS- Desmond Breaziel, 33, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 75 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm.
According to court documents, on March 7, 2022, Lawrence Police Department (LPD) officers responded to a report of two men passed out in a parked Ford Explorer at a Waffle House parking lot. The driver, Desmond Breaziel, was unresponsive upon the officers’ arrival. When Breaziel woke up and exited the vehicle, he appeared confused and disoriented. Officers found a loaded Taurus .38 caliber handgun and approximately 81 pills containing methamphetamine on Breaziel’s person. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered a fanny pack containing marijuana and a digital scale.
Breaziel is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law due to his previous felony convictions, including dealing narcotics and a prior federal conviction for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Breaziel was still under court supervision following his release from federal prison when he was again arrested for illegal gun possession.
“Illegally armed felons and drug dealers help drive the gun violence plaguing our families and neighbors,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “I commend the quick response by the Lawrence Police Department and the work of ATF to protect the public from this criminal. The serious sentence imposed today is a message to others who are legally barred from possessing firearms: put down the guns or you risk federal prison time.”
“The Lawrence Police Department thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and U.S. Attorney Zachary Myers, along with our law enforcement partners at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives for focusing federal resources on holding armed felons accountable,” said Chief Gary Woodruff of the Lawrence Police Department. “These federal, state, and local agency collaborations leading to convictions result in a safer central Indiana for all Hoosiers to enjoy.”
ATF investigated this case with valuable assistance provided by LPD. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, Chief Tanya Walton Pratt. Judge Pratt also ordered that Breaziel be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Abhishek Kambli and Samantha Spiro, who prosecuted this case.