INDIANAPOLIS – Anthony Sterling, 42, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin.
According to court documents, on August 19, 2020, law enforcement officers conducted a compliance check of Sterling at his reported residence in Indianapolis. At the time, Sterling was serving a criminal sentence on community corrections following a conviction in Marion County for dealing in methamphetamine. During a lawful search of the property, law enforcement discovered baggies containing over 200 grams of heroin, an additional bag containing 212 grams lactose used as a cutting agent, a digital scale, and a credit card with residue. Sterling admitted the heroin was his and that he sold it. Sterling has been convicted of at least ten prior felony offenses, including five prior drug trafficking felonies.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana; Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Indianapolis Field Office, and Chief Randal Taylor of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) made the announcement.
DEA and IMPD investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. As part of the sentence, Judge Pratt ordered that Sterling be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for four years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela S. Domash who prosecuted this case.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.