South Bend Man Sentenced to 144 Months in Prison

SOUTH BEND - Aguila Binion, 48 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after a jury convicted him of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.

Binion was sentenced to 144 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, police found Binion asleep behind the wheel of a running car. Binion had a bag of cocaine and more than $1,500 cash in his pockets. He had boxes of plastic baggies, a digital scale, and several small baggies of pre-packaged cocaine in the front seat. Within arm's reach in the back seat, he had a fully loaded pistol.

"The Defendant was all set up to distribute poison in our community. He had the product, the packaging, money to make change, a scale to make accurate sales, and a gun to protect his illicit business enterprise. He has forfeited twelve years of his life because of his crimes. The Northern District of Indiana is safer for the efforts of the South Bend Police Department, the St. Joseph County Police Department, the Indiana State Police Laboratory, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives," said Mildred.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the South Bend Police Department, the St. Joseph County Police Department and the Indiana State Police Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joel Gabrielse and Luke N. Reilander.

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.