Department of Justice

FORT WAYNE – Kevin D. Ricksy a/k/a Kevin Tinsley, 35 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Ricksy was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, on April 24, 2021, Ricksy was the passenger in a vehicle stopped by the Fort Wayne Police Department. Officers discovered that Ricksy had an arrest warrant and took him into custody. While doing so, officers located a loaded stolen handgun in the side door pocket where Ricksy was seated. Ricksy also admitted to possessing an AR rifle. Since Ricksy was previously convicted of Robbery, Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon and Dealing Cocaine, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the assistance the Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey R. Speith.

This case was being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.