A federal appeals court recently upheld a Gary man’s drug conviction.
Lamont Coleman, now 43, was sentenced to 20 years in August 2023. A jury convicted him of conspiring to distribute heroin, possessing a firearm as a felon, and possessing with intent to distribute heroin.
Authorities accused him of running a heroin ring out of his Gary properties from November 2017 to August 2018 — an apartment building on the 4100 block of Madison Street, the next door house and connecting courtyard. Police confiscated guns, heroin, cocaine and $19,000 in cash when executing a search warrant.
He argued on appeal that prosecutors improperly gave “generic” jury instructions for a “very specific” indictment, records show. Second, Coleman said he only learned the police stakeout videos were corrupted and unwatchable at his sentencing. Next, he argued the court refused to use an affidavit Coleman handed his lawyer allegedly from his uncle stating he ran the operation. Last, he argued the judge shouldn’t have considered “acquitted conduct” at sentencing.
In a 3-0 decision filed May 15, U.S. Circuit Judge Ilana Rovner of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Coleman’s arguments.
Rovner wrote Coleman’s trial lawyer knew about the video recordings.
With the uncle’s affidavit, Coleman’s lawyer said he didn’t know where it came from, she wrote. There was evidence Coleman tried to intimidate his uncle – co-defendant Leroy Coleman – calling him from jail, asking him to deny he knew it was his nephew’s voice on other recorded calls, she wrote.
Rovner noted jurors never acquitted Lamont Coleman of running the drug ring, which was used to factor his sentence.
Coleman’s uncle, then-girlfriend and two others pleaded guilty in the case.
Lamont Coleman’s earliest release date is in September 2035.
mcolias@post-trib.com
