Department of Justice

FORT WAYNE –Joshua R. Letner, 42 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Letner was sentenced to 220 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, between March 2020 and October 2021, Letner distributed and possessed with intent to distribute controlled substances in Fort Wayne, including over 50 grams of methamphetamine. Letner, a convicted felon, who could not legally possess the firearm in this case, also possessed a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking.

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

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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