Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

FORT WAYNE – Shawn Bacon, 39, of Fort Wayne, Indiana was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Holly A. Brady to 720 months in prison, followed by a term of supervised release of 10 years announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch. 

According to the documents in this case, in August of 2019, Mr. Bacon was convicted after a four day jury trial of two counts of possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances to include more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and more than 400 grams of fentanyl and more than 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, maintaining a drug involved premises, possessing a  destructive device and a short barreled rifle not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, possessing body armor after having been convicted of a crime of violence, and possessing in furtherance of and carrying during and in relation to the drug trafficking offenses, firearms to include destructive devices, more particularly explosive bombs and a short barreled rifle. 

The charges in this case stemmed from the execution of a search warrant at Bacon’s Fort Wayne home in December 2017. The execution of that search warrant resulted in the seizure of 22 firearms from Bacon’s residence and his vehicle. Bacon had at least four prior felony convictions at the time of the search warrant.  Some of the firearms recovered were stolen. Bacon was also found in possession of many high capacity magazines, body armor, and various rounds of ammunition in this residence.  Bacon was also in possession of unregistered pipe bombs as well as a short barreled rifle.  The search warrant also yielded large distribution quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana.  At the time of Bacon’s arrest, agents also photographed Bacon’s Aryan Brotherhood tattoos.  The drug charges were based on illegal drugs found in the defendant’s home and car.

United States Attorney Kirsch said, “Today’s sentence of 60 years, sends a strong message that my Office and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate the type of criminal activity presented in this case.  In Fort Wayne and throughout the District we have an excellent working relationship with federal, state and local agencies that are dedicated to arresting and prosecuting the worst of the worst.” 

“The long sentences these violent criminals receive is reassuring to the communities they terrorized that law enforcement is on their side,” commented ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brendan Iber of the Chicago Field Division. “ATF will continue to pursue these serial criminals in collaboration with our local partners and appreciate the diligence the U.S. Attorney’s Office dedicated to bringing this defendant to justice.”

This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives Fort Wayne Resident Office Agents, ATF Explosives Technology Branch, ATF Forensic Chemistry Laboratory, with the assistance of the Fort Wayne Police Department, Fort Wayne Police Department Vice and Narcotics Division, and the Indiana State Police.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery. 

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