Violent Kokomo Felon Sentenced to Over Five Years in Federal Prison after Posting Instagram Pictures of Himself Illegally Possessing a Firearm

INDIANAPOLIS — Bradley Morgan, 24, of Kokomo, has been sentenced to 68 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, in March of 2021, investigators with the Kokomo Police Department Violent Crimes Task Force began an investigation into Bradley Morgan after becoming aware of Instagram posts by Morgan, showing him pointing firearms at the camera. Morgan was known to be a convicted felon, on probation, and had an active warrant at the time of the discovery.

On April 14, 2021, investigators obtained and executed a search warrant at Morgan’s East Taylor Street residence in Kokomo. During the search, investigators found Morgan hiding in the bedroom closet. In the same bedroom, investigators located a quantity of controlled substances, a .40 caliber Glock with a 23-round capacity extended magazine, and a 9mm Smith & Wesson.

Morgan is prohibited under federal law from ever possessing a firearm due to his previous felony convictions for criminal recklessness and criminal recklessness with a dangerous weapon in Howard County.

“Multiple convictions for violent crimes were not enough to convince this offender to stop carrying a deadly weapon,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers. “The serious federal prison sentence imposed here should send a message to citizens returning to the community from custody: if you choose to possess a gun you will go right back to prison. Our office will continue to partner with the ATF and local task forces in Kokomo and all across our district to ensure that the most dangerous armed offenders are taken off our streets.”

“This is another successful collective investigative effort between federal and local law enforcement agencies to reduce violent crime in our community. The dedicated men and women of the Kokomo Police Department, Howard County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police and our federal partners will continuously work together to do whatever is necessary to prosecute violent crime offenders and make our communities safer for all law-abiding citizens,” said Chief of Kokomo Police, Doug Stout.

ATF and Kokomo Police Department Violent Crimes Task Force investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James R. Sweeney II.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Corbin Houston, who prosecuted this case.

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 of Justice 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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