Armando Jose Velasquez, Attempted Murder, Indiana 2011

East Chicago, Indiana - In a shocking turn of events, Armando Jose Velasquez, also known as 'Money,' was sentenced to 305 months in prison for federal racketeering charges related to an attempted murder in East Chicago, Indiana.

Velasquez, 27, was found guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, attempted murder in aid of racketeering activity, and a firearm offense relating to the Dec. 3, 2011, attempted murder.

According to court documents, Velasquez fired a gun into a car being driven by an 18-year-old resident of East Chicago, Indiana, and struck the victim three times. The victim was not actually a gang member and was not involved in any criminal activity.

Velasquez had been previously convicted in the Lake County Superior Court in Indiana of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2005. He was on state parole when he committed the offense.

As part of a 24-defendant indictment alleging that members of the Imperial Gangsters committed 14 previously-uncharged homicides, Velasquez was charged with a decade-long racketeering conspiracy that involved the attempted murder of 19 other victims and the large-scale distribution of cocaine and marijuana.

Velasquez pleaded guilty on Jan. 10, 2014, to the charges. He is one of 22 defendants charged in the indictment to plead guilty. One defendant, Richard Reyes, was convicted by a jury of murder and conspiracy to commit racketeering activity on Jan. 24, 2014, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 30, 2014.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the FBI, and the East Chicago Police Department, with assistance from the Gary Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, and the Lake County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Bruce R. Hegyi of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Nozick of the Northern District of Indiana.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Armando Jose Velasquez, aka 'Money,' was sentenced to 305 months in prison.

City and state: East Chicago, Indiana.

Exact date: Dec. 3, 2011.

Defendant’s real full name: Armando Jose Velasquez.

Exact criminal charges: Conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, attempted murder in aid of racketeering activity, and a firearm offense.

Sentence or outcome: 305 months in prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/admitted-gang-member-sentenced-federal-racketeering-charges