Gary Man Sentenced to 480 months in Prison

HAMMOND- Yesterday, Taquan Clarke, age 31, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after a jury found him guilty of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and using a firearm to commit murder, following a 6-day jury trial, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.

Clarke was sentenced to 480 months in prison for using a firearm to commit murder. He was also sentenced to 240 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release. Both sentences are to run concurrently.

According to documents in the case, between June 2016 and February 2018, Taquan Clarke and numerous others conspired to possess and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. On July 28, 2017, Clarke was involved in a plot to rob an individual of cocaine and money. During this attempted robbery, Clarke shot the victim, K.H., in the head, resulting in K.H.'s death.

"Taquan Clarke cut short the life of another man," said Acting U.S. Attorney Proctor. "Thanks to the coordinated efforts of law enforcement, he has been brought to justice for that act. It is an honor to serve with the dedicated agents, officers, and prosecutors who made that happen."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Gang Response Investigative Team, the Gary Police Department, and the Lake County Sheriff's Department. The trial was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick and Caitlin M. Padula.

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.