INDIANAPOLIS — A 44-year-old Franklin man will spend the next 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted interference with commerce by robbery and being a felon in possession of a gun.
Jeffrey Fleshood was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to beating a car dealership worker and threatening the worker with a gun.
According to court documents, Fleshood entered a car dealership on Washington Street in Indianapolis in October 2021 to inquire about purchasing a truck he previously had shown interest in.
After asking an employee to show them the truck, Fleshood then brandished a .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol, pointed it at the employee, and ordered him to get on his knees and put his hands in the air. Fleshood held the muzzle of the pistol against employee's back and attempted to bind his hands with zip-ties.
The employee fought back and wrestled the gun from Fleshood. During the struggle, Fleshood struck the employee multiple times with his fists and the pistol.
The employee suffered cuts, bruises and a broken tooth because of the fight.
Fleshood fled after losing possession of the gun, but was arrested soon after on the east side of Indy.
Previous felony charges including residential breaking and entering, burglary and resisting law enforcement prohibited Fleshood from owning a gun.
“Every person deserves to feel safe where they live and work. This defendant terrorized and violently robbed an innocent man at his place of employment,’ said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Zachary A. Myers. “His violent, senseless crimes have no place in our communities, and we are safer with him behind federal prison bars. I am grateful to the FBI and IMPD for ensuring that he is held accountable for his actions.
Fleshood will also serve five years of supervised probation following his release from federal prison.
