United States Drug Enforcement Administration

INDIANAPOLIS - Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Indianapolis, and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana announced that Steven Lamar Brown, 42, of Indianapolis has been sentenced to 246 months in federal prison. In June of 2023, a federal jury found Brown guilty of seven felony charges: five counts of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, between September 2020, and February 2021, Brown was observed and recorded on video and audio selling more than fifty grams of methamphetamine on three separate occasions. On the recordings Brown can be clearly seen and heard weighing drugs and counting the money he received in exchange.

On Feb. 23, 2021, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers attempted to stop Brown in his car to arrest him, but Brown refused to comply. Officers eventually stopped Brown, searched his vehicle, and found a loaded .380 caliber pistol in the glove box.

Later that day, law enforcement, including Task Force Officers with the DEA and IMPD officers, conducted a court-authorized search of Brown’s residence. Inside, throughout the house, they found a trove of illegal drugs, tools of the drug trade, Brown’s personal documents, and eight firearms, including three assault rifles, four handguns, and a shotgun:

Brown has multiple prior convictions for felony offenses, including robbery, for which he was on parole when he committed these federal crimes. As a result of those convictions, Brown is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

“This violent felon sold fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs in our community—all while illegally armed to the teeth,” said U.S. Attorney Myers. “Every neighborhood deserves to be safe from criminals dealing deadly drugs and armed with deadly weapons. I commend the DEA, IMPD, and our federal prosecutors for their efforts to hold this defendant accountable and take him off our streets. The two-decade prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that these very serious crimes carry very serious consequences.”

Joining ASAC Gannon and U.S. Attorney Myers in making the announcement was IMPD Chief Randal Taylor. 

The DEA and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James R. Sweeney II. Judge Sweeney also ordered that Brown be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years following his release from federal prison and pay a $500 fine.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pamela S. Domash and Jayson W. McGrath, who prosecuted this case.