Indy Gun Ring: 15 Charged in Straw Purchase Scheme

INDIANAPOLIS – Fifteen individuals are facing federal charges after a sweeping indictment revealed a sophisticated gun trafficking operation that flooded Central Indiana with illegally obtained firearms. The scheme, allegedly running from November 2020 to April 2022, relied on “straw purchasers” – individuals with clean records who falsely claimed to be the actual buyers of the weapons.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced the indictment, detailing how the operation targeted at least six federally licensed firearms dealers. The core group – Daylen Bell, 24, Indianapolis; Jaylyn Lamont Crenshaw, 25, Indianapolis; Michaela Evan Day, 27, Indianapolis; Michael Glen Day, 23, Indianapolis; Davone Trae Eans, 24, Indianapolis; Kendall Rayshaun Ezell, 21, Indianapolis; Anthony Keith Jones, 24, Indianapolis; Isiah Thomas Keller, 21, Greenfield; Anthony James Morst, 24, Indianapolis; Caleb Morris Redman, 23, Indianapolis; Jordan Devon Ross, 24, Gary; Derrion Wisdom Scruggs, 23, Unknown; Michael Coreal Stubbs, 22, Indianapolis; Demetrius Andre Young, 24, Indianapolis; and Jalen Charles Zimmerman, 23, Indianapolis – allegedly worked in concert to bypass legal restrictions on gun ownership.

According to court documents, Keller, Stubbs, Ezell, Michael Day, and Jones allegedly orchestrated the scheme, paying others to act as straw purchasers. These individuals – Redman, Scruggs, Bell, Morst, Ross, Zimmerman, Michaela Day, Eans, Crenshaw, and Young – then purchased the firearms, falsely stating they were for their own use. The weapons were then handed off to Keller, Stubbs, Ezell, Michael Day, and Jones, who prosecutors say intended to resell them on the black market. This isn’t about sport shooting; it’s about arming criminals.

“Straw purchasing” is a common tactic used by those prohibited from owning firearms, and it’s a serious federal offense. Each of the fifteen defendants is charged with conspiring to make false statements during the purchase of a firearm, and one or more counts of making those false statements. If convicted, each faces up to ten years in federal prison – a sentence that, frankly, feels light considering the potential consequences of their actions.

The investigation was a collaborative effort, involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, alongside local law enforcement from the Greenfield Police Department, Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service. The operation falls under the umbrella of the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force (ICGTF), a multi-agency partnership dedicated to tackling violent crime in Central Indiana. It’s also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide program aimed at reducing gun violence.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers praised Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela Domash for her work on the case. While the indictment represents a significant step, it’s a reminder of the constant battle to keep guns out of the hands of those who would do harm. As with all criminal cases, these defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But the evidence, as presented, paints a grim picture of a deliberate and dangerous scheme.