Elkhart Man Sentenced to 228 Months in Prison

SOUTH BEND – Adam Motheral, 50 years old, of Elkhart, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.

Motheral was sentenced to 228 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, between October 2023 and February 2024, Motheral sold four firearms and over 400 grams of high purity methamphetamine to buyers in Elkhart.  A search of his residence resulted in the recovery of approximately 150 grams of methamphetamine and nine additional firearms.  Motheral has an extensive criminal history which includes 4 prior felony and 12 prior misdemeanor convictions.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration including the DEA North Central Laboratory, and Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Elkhart County Intelligence and Covert Enforcement Unit, the Elkhart Police Department, the South Bend Police Department, and the LaGrange, Illinois Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katelan McKenzie Doyle.

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.