Former City Councilor Sentenced to Prison

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A U.S. District Court judge has sentenced former East Chicago City Councilor Robert Battle to 20 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch’s office says Battle plead guilty to killing a man in relation to a drug trafficking scheme.

Court documents say federal officials began investigating Battle in April 2015 for drug trafficking activities. Battle, who was a sitting councilor at the time, was arrested in September of that year after a traffic stop in which authorities seized drugs and cash from his vehicle. 

Battle then worked with federal agents to make a controlled delivery to Reimundo Camarillo, who had been supplying Battle with large quantities of drugs, but Camarillo did not show. The next month, Battle and Camarillo had an argument which ended with Battle shooting and killing Camarillo.

"Mr. Battle was a drug dealer, while at the same time serving as a public official. He was elected to uphold the law and instead conspired to break it," Kirsch said in a news release. "Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of his offense and should be a warning to others who want to engage in these type of violent crimes."

Battle pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, causing the death of another person. He will serve two years of supervised release after his prison term ends.