Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Martin Devalois, 40, of Romeoville, Illinois, was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon following a two-day jury trial presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty, announced U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Devalois is scheduled for sentencing on March 29, 2024. Any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the District Court judge after consideration of federal statutes and the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerome W. McKeever and Joel L. Mathur.

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.

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