Justin Cain, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Indiana 2023

Justin Cain, a 33-year-old Lebanon, Indiana resident, has been sentenced to 77 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. This is not Cain’s first run-in with the law, as he has accumulated seven felony convictions over two decades for various offenses including dealing marijuana, fraud, counterfeiting, and failure to return to a detention facility.

The incident that led to Cain’s sentencing occurred on November 16, 2019, when Lebanon Police Department officers responded to a caller who reported a suspicious individual in a grey sweatshirt walking around a house in the area. When officers arrived, they spotted Cain wearing a grey sweatshirt and attempted to apprehend him. Cain, however, resisted arrest, fleeing to a nearby truck and attempting to drive away. He was eventually subdued and a .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun was recovered from the scene.

Cain’s current conviction bars him from possessing firearms due to his prior felony convictions. At the time of the incident, he was on probation. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case in conjunction with the Lebanon Police Department.

U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson imposed the sentence, which includes a three-year term of supervised release after Cain’s release from federal prison. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers praised Assistant U.S. Attorney Abhishek S. Kambli for his work on the case.

This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through community-based initiatives. The program, launched in 2021, focuses on fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting organizations that prevent violence, and setting strategic enforcement priorities.

Cain’s lengthy prison sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of possessing firearms as a convicted felon. The community is safer with him behind bars, and his sentence should serve as a deterrent to others who would engage in similar behavior.

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