DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Northern District of Indiana

For Immediate Release

Friday, November 19, 2021
Clifford D. Johnson
, United States Attorney

South Bend Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison

For Being A Felon In Possession Of Firearms

SOUTH BEND – Steven Polito, 24 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Polito was sentenced to 51 months in prison followed by 1 year of supervised release. 

According to documents in the case, in April 2021, Polito possessed several firearms after having been previously convicted of a felony. One of those firearms was a semi-automatic capable of accepting a high-capacity magazine.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with the assistance of the South Bend Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank E. Schaffer.

This case was prosecuted as part of the South Bend Group Violence Intervention Program, a Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative (PSN).  The PSN Program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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Chicago Field Division