Eastern District of Kentucky

LONDON, Ky.- A former Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Charles Marshall Stivers, 59, of Manchester, Kentucky, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, for submitting false documents to the IRS.

According to Strivers’ plea agreement, in 2015, he had previously been convicted in the Eastern District of Tennessee for participating in a cigarette tax stamp conspiracy; and as a result, he had his CPA license revoked by the Kentucky Board of Accountancy.  Despite that, on multiple occasions from 2016 to 2019, Stivers held himself out as a CPA and falsely completed IRS Form 2848s (Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative) indicating he was a licensed CPA.

Stivers pleaded guilty in December 2021.

Under federal law, Stivers must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for two years.

In addition to his prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Kelly K. Moening, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Great Lakes Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by TIGTA.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Moynahan.

— END —

LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Lexington man, Christopher Paul Cavanaugh, 40, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Karen C. Caldwell, after pleading guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.           

According to Cavanaugh’s plea agreement, in March 2021, the United States Postal Service intercepted a package of methamphetamine that was being sent to him.  Law enforcement then found Cavanaugh in possession of approximately 1.95 kilograms of methamphetamine and three firearms.  Cavanaugh admitted that he possessed the firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking.

Cavanaugh pleaded guilty to the charges in the indictment, in February 2022.

Under federal law, Cavanaugh must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Darren Hess, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Lexington Police Department.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West.

– END –

LONDON, Ky. — George Oscar Messer, 62, of Rockholds, Kentucky, was sentenced to Life Imprisonment on Wednesday, by United States District Judge Robert E. Wier.  Messer was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of kidnapping, in January of this year.

According to evidence presented at trial, the kidnappings were motivated by an unsuccessful drug transaction, during which Messer’s son and his co-conspirators lost $10,000.  Messer arrived at the scene of the kidnappings with numerous firearms, including an assault rifle and .44 magnum revolver.  Messer held the revolver to one victim’s head while demanding the lost money.  Thereafter, Messer learned that one of his co-conspirators had raped the second victim.  In response to this, Messer then bound the second victim and sexually assaulted her, again, at gunpoint. 

Messer and his co-conspirators held the two victims for approximately 24 hours, during which time the victims were interrogated, threatened, and assaulted.  The victims only escaped after a family member spotted them in a ditch on the side of the road with Messer.  Law enforcement recovered 15 firearms and numerous controlled substances from the Messer residence.  At sentencing, Messer received numerous enhancements based on the use of a dangerous weapon, acting as a manager or supervisor, demanding a ransom, and sexually exploiting a victim.  Messer also had a prior conviction for Sexual Abuse, Third Degree, from Whitley County in 2014. 

Messer was indicted in November of 2020.  His co-conspirators, Jake Messer, Joshua Mills, and Stephen Jewell, are awaiting sentencing.

“This is an unsettling example of the disturbing effects of illegal drug trafficking on our communities,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.  “In this case, it also wrought armed kidnappings, tortuous threats, and repeated sexual assaults.  That unconstrained violence and unspeakable infliction of suffering certainly warrants the sentence imposed.  I want to commend our law enforcement partners for their dedicated efforts in this case, without which this prosecution would not have been possible.”    

“This defendant was part of an armed drug-trafficking organization that committed heinous acts of violence,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Division.  “I commend the efforts of the ATF agents and Kentucky State Police who worked diligently on this investigation to help bring justice to the victims who were kidnapped, tortured, and forced to endure the unimaginable.  We hope that this life sentence brings some form of healing to the victims and sends a very clear message that ATF and our law enforcement partners will not stand by and allow these acts of violence."

United States Attorney Shier, Special Agent in Charge Morrow, and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and KSP.  United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna E. Reed.

This case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities.  The PSN program involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

– END –

LONDON, Ky. – Investigators from the DEA Criminal Diversion Group, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, the Barbourville Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Manchester Police Department arrested twelve people, and seized approximately 10,000 diverted oxycodone pills and over $2,000,000 in U.S. Currency, as the result of an investigation into a Louisville-based drug trafficking operation.

In connection with this investigation, a federal grand jury sitting in London returned an indictment charging Jose Luis Barata Vazquez, Alexey Barata Hernandez, Yoleisys Reyes Castillo, Dioslen Jimenez Ortiz, Kaid Rogers, Allison Renee Rogers, Michael King, Christopher King, Floyd Barker, Sheila Barger, and Samuel Barger with conspiring, together and with others, to distribute oxycodone in Madison, Estill, Clay, and Laurel counties, from September 2019 to March 2022.  The grand jury also returned an indictment charging Franklin Hammons, in a related case, with conspiring with others to distribute oxycodone in Knox County, from April 2012 to April 2022.  

Each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1,000,000, supervised release of up to 3 years, as well as forfeiture of any assets used to facilitate these crimes or that constitute the proceeds of these offenses.  However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division; Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron; and Vic Brown, Executive Director of Appalachia HIDTA, jointly announced the indictment.  Assistant United States Attorney W. Samuel Dotson is representing the United States.

Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

— END —

LEXINGTON, Ky.— In honor of National Police Week, U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier, IV recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, and local law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Wednesday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

“This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” said Attorney General Garland. “We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”

“Making the commitment to serve your community is the first of many sacrifices that members of law enforcement choose to make when they enter their public service,” said U.S. Attorney Shier.  “The work that follows is demanding, persistent, and hazardous – but also absolutely critical to making our communities safer and more resilient.  National Police Week reminds us to collectively reflect on the sacrifices of members of law enforcement and allows us to show our sincere appreciation for the essential service they provide to our communities.”

In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices.  Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 472 law enforcement officers died nationwide in the line of duty in 2021.  Of that number, 319 succumbed to COVID-19.  Seven officers, who died in the line of duty in the Eastern District of Kentucky, will be added to the law enforcement memorial in Washington, D.C.    

Additionally, according to 2021 statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 73 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 were killed as a result of felonious acts, whereas 56 died in accidents.  Deaths resulting from felonious acts increased in 2021, rising more than 58 percent from the previous year.  In 2021, unprovoked attacks[1] were the cause of 24 deaths significantly outpacing all other line of duty deaths resulting from felony acts and reaching the highest annual total in over 30 years of reporting.  Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program. 

The names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Friday, May 13, 2022, during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C., starting at 8:00 PM EDT. Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF. The schedule of National Police Week events is available on NLEOMF’s website.

###
 

Reference to any specific organization or service(s) offered by an organization is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Department of Justice.

[1] An unprovoked attack is defined as an attack on an officer not prompted by official contact at the time of the incident between the officer and the offender.  Source:  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program.

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The former Scott County Coroner, John Goble, 68, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to conspiracy to commit theft of weapons and ammunition belonging to Kentucky State Police.   

According to Goble’s plea agreement, from 2014-2018, Goble agreed with Mike Crawford to store ammunition belonging to Kentucky State Police, in the basement of his office.  This ammunition was misappropriated by the KSP armorer, Mitch Harris, and then given to Crawford and Goble.  Over the total conspiracy, the total value of the misappropriated ammunition had a value of approximately $40,000.                       

Goble was indicted in April 2022.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ken Taylor and Kate Smith.

Goble is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2022.  He faces up five years in prison and a maximum of a $250,000 fine.  However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

— END —

LEXINGTON, Ky.— Two men, James Garfield Charles, 52, of Lexington, and Vincent Adams Vassor, 55, of Los Angeles, were sentenced to 380 months and 320 months in federal prison, respectively, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, after being convicted of various drug trafficking charges.

Charles and Vassor were both convicted in January 2022.  Charles was convicted of Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, and possession of a firearm in furtherance if his drug trafficking.  Vassor was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.  A third defendant, Antonio Cloyd, 59, also of Lexington, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of meth and distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to evidence presented at trial, from January 2021 to June 2021, Charles distributed methamphetamine and provided others with methamphetamine for their distribution.  On February 8, 2021, law enforcement made a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Vassor, which led law enforcement to Charles, who supplied the drugs.  On June 8, 2021, law enforcement arranged a controlled purchase of three pounds of methamphetamine; and then, after obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement found an additional five pounds of methamphetamine and distribution quantities of multiple controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana.  

Under federal law, both must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. Upon their release from prison, they will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Filed Division; and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; jointly announced the sentences.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and KSP.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Todd Bradbury.  

– END –

ASHLAND, Ky.— A Winterpark, Fla., man, Jimmy DeLeon, 56, was sentenced to 400 months in federal prison on Monday, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a child.           

According to DeLeon’s guilty plea, in August 2020, he travelled to pick up two minor victims, at their home in Boyd County.  He then took both victims to various states throughout the country.  During this interstate travel, he admitted to sexually abusing both victims and to producing videos and photos of that abuse.

DeLeon pleaded guilty in December 2021.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Filed Office; and Chief W. Todd Kelley, Ashland Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Ashland Police Department.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky.- Rosario Diaz Barraza, 32, of Phoenix, Ariz., and Ramon Camacho Zepeda, 54, of Lexington, were convicted by a federal court jury on Wednesday, of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and interstate transportation of stolen automobiles, following a 7-day trial.  A third defendant, John Carlos Betancourt, 27, of Penuelas, Puerto Rico, was convicted of the interstate transportation of stolen vehicles.           

According to evidence presented at trial, the charges stemmed from the kidnapping of two individuals, identified in court records as J.O. and M.A.T.O.  Both victims were killed during the commission of the kidnapping.  Their bodies were discovered in the trunk of a Volkswagen Jetta, on September 11, 2017, at 430 Blue Sky Parkway in Lexington.  The location was an automotive repair business owned by J.O.  Two vehicles belonging to J.O. were stolen during the offenses and transported to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.  Evidence presented at trial included that Camacho Zepeda and Diaz Barraza were distributing kilogram quantities of cocaine and heroin in Lexington, and that J.O. had allegedly incurred a debt to them based on his involvement in the drug trafficking.  Testimony by a pathologist from the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office showed that J.O.’s cause of death was attributed to “chop wounds” to the head and asphyxiation.  The second victim, M.A.T.O., died from asphyxiation.

Two other defendants, Jose Felix Tlatenchi, 39, also of Wilkes-Barre, and Jean Michael Serrano-Jimenez, 31, of Hanover Township, Penn., previously entered guilty pleas relating to their involvement.  Serrano-Jimenez pled guilty as charged to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, while Tlatenchi pled guilty as an accessory after the fact to the kidnappings.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, DEA, Louisville Field Office; Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the verdict.

The lengthy investigation was conducted primarily by the Lexington Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Kentucky State Police.  Multiple additional law enforcement agencies also provided valuable assistance, including the Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Police Department, the Reading, Pennsylvania Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the New York City Police Department, the Harlingen, Texas Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.  The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd Bradbury and Francisco Villalobos.

Serrano-Jimenez is scheduled for sentencing on May 12, 2022.  Tlatenchi is scheduled for sentencing on July 7, 2022.  Diaz Barraza, Camacho Zepeda and Betancourt are all scheduled for sentencing on July 25, 2022.  Diaz Barraza, Camacho Zepeda, and Serrano-Jimenez face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.  Tlatenchi faces up to 15 years and Betancourt up to 10 years.  However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing its sentence.

— END —

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A Nigerian national, Adedunmola Gbadegesin, has been extradited to the United States, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering, stemming from the financial exploitation of elderly victims in the United States.           

According to a recently unsealed Court documents, a federal grand jury in Lexington returned an indictment charging Adedunmola Gbadegesin, 33, of Lagos, Nigeria, alongside two others, Olatunbosun Oluwakayode Ajayi, 34, of Atlanta Georgia, and Otunuya Ineh Eqwem Livingstone, 45, of Houston Texas, with conspiracy to commit money laundering.           

The indictment alleges that Gbadegesin and his co-conspirators collaborated to create fake online dating profiles, to post to online dating websites.  As part of the alleged conspiracy, the co-conspirators would engage in online chats, emails, and telephone calls with unwitting victims, who were located in the United States, including one in Lexington.  The indictment alleges that as part of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators would convince the victims to send money to the nonexistent romantic partners or give them access to their financial accounts, so the co-conspirators could initiate money transfers themselves.           

The indictment also alleges that Gbadegesin hired others in the U.S. to receive funds from victims and to launder those funds, so the funds could be returned back to Gbadegesin in Nigeria.  Those United States-based money launderers included Ineh Eqwem, Ajayi, and Ismaila Fafunmi.

Fafunmi pleaded guilty to his role in the money laundering scheme; and in August 2021, he received 51 months in prison.  Ineh Eqwem and Ajayi have also pleaded guilty for their roles in the money laundering scheme; they were sentenced to 24 months and 12 months, respectively.

Gbadgesin was arrested by Nigerian authorities on Sept. 22, 2021, in Lagos, Nigeria at the request of the United States. At the time of his arrest, Gbadgesein had been residing in Lagos, Nigeria.  Nigeria approved his extradition on March 21, 2021, and he was transferred into U.S. custody on April 26, 2022.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the indictment.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI.  The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Dieruf.  The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria, the Nigerian Attorney General’s Office, the Central Authority Unity, and the FBI Louisville Field Office assisted with the extradition of Gbadgesein.

Gbadegesin has his first appearance in Court on May 2, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000.  However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s efforts to identify and prosecute those persons who facilitate elder financial exploitation.

The Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Mission, being carried out through the Kentucky Elder Justice Task Force, is to seek justice for victims of elder financial exploitation.  Anyone that knows someone, who may be a victim of an elder financial exploitation, is encouraged to contact law enforcement.

            Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.                                                                                                  

— END —

LONDON, Ky. — A Barboursville, Ky., man, David E. Hamblin, 37, was sentenced to __ months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to Hamblin’s plea agreement, in July 2021, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on his vehicle and found him in possession of over 50 grams of methamphetamine and a firearm, which was loaded and in the pocket of the driver’s side door.  Hamblin admitted he intended to distribute the methamphetamine and he possessed the firearm to protect himself from the dangers associated with his drug trafficking activities.

Hamblin pleaded guilty in November 2021.

Under federal law, Hamblin must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Chief Winston Tye, Barboursville Police Department; and Sheriff Mike Smith, Knox County Sheriff’s Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA, Barboursville Police Department, and Knox County Sheriff’s Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Georgia man, formerly residing in Lexington, Ky., Hosea Lee Jr., 43, pleaded guilty on Friday, before Chief U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves, to committing five counts of sexual abuse of a ward.

According to his plea agreement, Lee was employed as a correctional officer at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, and during that time he served as a drug treatment specialist.  Between October and December 2019, on multiple occasions, Lee performed sexual acts on four separate victims, who attended his drug treatment classes.                         

Lee was indicted in July 2021.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; William J. Hannah, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Chicago Field Office; and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by DOJ-OIG and FBI.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tashena Fannin and Kate Smith.

Lee is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29, 2022.  He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and a fine of not more than $250,000.  However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

— END —

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Georgetown, Ky., man, Phillip Christopher Abel, 36, was sentenced on Thursday, to 324 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, after previously pleading guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct.           

According to his Abel’s plea agreement, law enforcement received information that he was using Freenet, a peer-to-peer file sharing network to request files associated with the sexual exploitation of children.  Additionally, law enforcement found at least 30 deleted photos of a pre-pubescent female in various sexual poses that were taken at Abel’s property.  Abel admitted that he knowingly used the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of the sexually explicit conduct.

Abel pleaded guilty in September 2021.

Under federal law, Abel must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.  In addition to his prison time, Abel is required to pay $15,000 in restitution.        

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jerry Templet, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Daniel Cameron, Attorney General of Kentucky; and Michael D. Bosse, Chief of Police, Georgetown Police Department, announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by HSI, Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, and Georgetown Police Department. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

– END–

ASHLAND, Ky. — An Ashland man, Jamaal A. Stokes, 31, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison on Monday, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.           

According to Stokes plea agreement, in September 2021, law enforcement conducted a search of Stokes’ residence and found him in possession of between one and two pounds of methamphetamine, a large amount of marijuana, a large amount of cash, a digital scale, and plastic baggies.

Stokes pleaded guilty in December 2021.

Under federal law, Stokes must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker.

– END –

ASHLAND, Ky. — A Parkersburg, Penn., man, Nathan Thomas Welch, 53, was sentenced on Monday, to 384 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, after previously being convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault.           

According to testimony at his trial, on July 10, 2020 (and the early hours of July 11, 2020), Welch and Charles Glorioso, 53, of Portsmouth, Ohio, kidnapped a woman at knifepoint.  The victim was driving the two men, in her vehicle, from Portsmouth, into Greenup County, Kentucky.  There, the victim testified, both men physically and sexually assaulted her, until she was allowed to leave, when she traveled back across the river on foot.  The incident was reported to police and she was transported to the hospital, for treatment of multiple injuries sustained during the assault.  Later, where the assault took place in Greenup County, officers located the victim’s abandoned vehicle, her belt, shoe, and sandal, as well as the knife used during the kidnapping, all in or near the vehicle.

Welch was convicted by a federal jury in December 2021.  Glorioso was convicted by a federal jury, in March 2022, and is scheduled to be sentenced in June 2022.

Under federal law, Welch must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Louisville Field Office; Col. Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Chief Debby Brewer, Portsmouth Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by FBI, KSP, the Portsmouth Police Department, and the Ohio Bureau of Investigation.  The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Villalobos.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Compton, Ky., man, Justin Clay Spencer, 37, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison on Friday, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking activity.           

Spencer was indicted after law enforcement found him in possession of 259 grams of methamphetamine.  Spencer admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine.  Additionally, Spencer was in possession of a firearm, which he used for protection in furtherance of his methamphetamine trafficking.

Spencer pleaded guilty to the charges in the indictment in December 2021.

Under federal law, Spencer must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Office; and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and KSP.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield.

– END –

LONDON, Ky. – Quinton Hall, 36, of Ellenwood, Georgia was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier.  Hall was previously convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to distribute aggravated amounts of methamphetamine throughout Whitley, Laurel, and Knox Counties and of using a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking enterprise. 

The evidence at trial established that Hall traveled from Atlanta, into Corbin, Kentucky, to distribute methamphetamine.  Hall supplied several different methamphetamine dealers in Whitley, Knox, and Laurel Counties.  Records established Hall moved drug proceeds through Western Union wire transfers, Green Dot cards, and MoneyGram.  Four eyewitnesses testified that Hall was armed when dealing the drugs. According to testimony at trial, Hall engaged in violent debt collection tactics, including assaulting co-conspirators with firearms.  On January 24, 2020, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office’s Gang Suppression and Vice Unit (GSVU) executed a warrant at Hall’s Georgia residence.  There, officers seized a Sig Sauer p250, Taurus GZC 9mm, Taurus Judge pistol, Keltec subgun 2000 rifle, Aero Precision X15 rifle, and Radom Pioneer Arms Hellpup.  Hall attempted to flee by climbing up into the attic of the residence.

Hall was indicted in May 2020, along with eleven co-conspirators, all of whom have also been convicted.  The case ultimately involved the seizure of 13 firearms, over $10,000 in U.S. Currency, and a substantial amount of methamphetamine.  The conspiracy involved the following sentences:

• Tramone Horne, 36, of Buffalo, New York, was sentenced to 270 months on August 1, 2021.
• Angelia Hammons, 47, of Corbin, sentenced to 68 months on October 29, 2021.
• Larry Tyler Hammons, 25, of Corbin, was sentenced to 40 months on July 20, 2021.
• Glennis Reed Nantz, 49, of Woodbine, Kentucky, was sentenced to 156 months on October 20, 2021.
• Alexander Lebeau, 27, of London, was sentenced to 74 months on May 21, 2021.
• Krysten Powell, 27, of Corbin, was sentenced to 58 months on July 14, 2021.
• Johnathon Ray Proffitt, 29, of London, was sentenced to 75 months on December 2, 2020.
• Larry Elkins, 39, of Calhoun, Georgia, was sentenced to 95 months on August 3, 2021. 
• Jennifer Folgman, 41, of Corbin, was sentenced to 86.5 months on January 11, 2021.
• Glennis Kody Nantz, 26, of Corbin, was sentenced to 140 months on October 20, 2021.

Hall was found guilty after a weeklong jury trial, on July 1, 2021.

Under federal law, Hall must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years, after his release from prison.  Hall was also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn  Morrow, Special Agent in Charge ATF; and Rusty Hedrick, Chief of the Corbin Police Department, jointly made the announcement.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and Corbin Police Department, with assistance from Georgia’s Henry County Sheriff’s Office.  The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna E. Reed.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities.  It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts.  In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

–END –

COVINGTON, Ky. — A Cincinnati man, Fred Carroll Randolph, 47, was sentenced to 130 months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.           

According to Randolph’s plea agreement, Randolph was stopped during a traffic stop where law enforcement recovered multiple bags of methamphetamine.  The bags contained 81.2 grams of very pure, crystal methamphetamine.  Randolph admitted that he had recently picked up three ounces of methamphetamine from a source of supply in Cincinnati, that he had distributed methamphetamine for a couple of months, and that he had distributed more than 500 grams of the drugs. 

Randolph pleaded guilty to the charges in the indictment in December 2021.

Under federal law, Randolph must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Kent Kleinschmidt, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Detroit Field Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tony Bracke and Andrew Spievack.

– END –

COVINGTON, Ky.— A Burlington, Ky., man, Daniel Julian Huegel, 25, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, after previously pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl resulting in a death.

According to Huegel’s plea agreement, in March 2020, an overdose victim was identified.  Law enforcement searched the victim’s iPad and iPhone and discovered detailed correspondence with Huegel, establishing that Huegel had distributed fentanyl to the victim.  Video footage confirmed this distribution and Huegel also admitted to distributing the drugs to the victim.  In his guilty plea, Huegel admitted that the victim would not have died, but for the consumption of the substance he distributed to him.

Huegel pleaded guilty in December 2021.

Under federal law, Huegel must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Kent Kleinschmidt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Detorit Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA, the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force, and the Hamilton County Heroin Task Force. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Winslow and Tony Bracke.

-END-

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The former County Attorney for Lawrence County, Michael T. Hogan, and his wife and legal secretary, Joy M. Hogan, 41, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to wire fraud. Michael Hogan pleaded guilty also to federal program theft.            

According to the Hogans’ plea agreements, the Hogans conspired with each other to commit wire fraud by issuing checks from a second delinquent tax account for the Lawrence County Attorney’s Office, the statements for which went to their personal residence. Michael Hogan and Joy Hogan would routinely prepare “bonus” checks issued to Joy, and signed by Michael, paid with delinquent tax funds that should have been used on operating expenses for the Lawrence County Attorney’s Office. The Hogans deposited these checks in Joy’s personal account and the couple’s joint accounts and spent the funds on personal expenses. Michael Hogan admitted he personally benefitted from these payments and knew some of these payments were not reasonable in amount, nor beneficial to the public. According to the indictment, between March 8, 2013, and April 30, 2020, Michael Hogan paid Joy Hogan more than $365,000 from the Lawrence County Delinquent Tax Account.

Additionally, Michael Hogan also admitted to defrauding the Lawrence County Child Support Enforcement Office, part of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.  According to the plea agreement, Hogan billed the program for more hours than he actually worked.

As part of the plea agreement, Michael Hogan agreed to resign as the Lawrence County Attorney.

The Hogans were indicted on the charges in June 2021.

“Whenever public officials turn to self-interests and use taxpayer money for their personal benefit, it causes real damage,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.  “Mr. Hogan was an elected County Attorney – responsible for upholding the law – yet, he has now admitted to betraying that public trust and to taking a significant amount of public money for the benefit of he and his wife.  Not only was this conduct a theft of public funds, but it also dangerously erodes the public’s faith in government officials and law enforcement.  We appreciate the efforts of our dedicated law enforcement partners, without whom this prosecution would not have been possible.”

"The Hogans' blatant disregard for properly handling tax payers' hard-earned money eroded the public's trust in government,"  said Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI’s Louisville Field Office. "The FBI will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to regain that trust by identifying and investigating those in power who choose to put their own financial gain above those they serve."

United States Attorney Shier; Special Agent in Charge Cohen; and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Smith and James Chapman.  

Michael Hogan and Joy Hogan are scheduled to be sentenced on July 6. On the wire fraud charges, they face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of no more than $250,000 or twice the amount of gain or loss.  On the federal program theft charges, Michael Hogan faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of no more than $250,000.  However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

— END —

LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Stanford, Ky., man, Donald Means, 55, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, after pleading guilty to distribution of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, which resulted in the death of another person.

According to Means’ guilty plea, he illegally sold a substance containing heroin and fentanyl to an individual, knowing it was a controlled substance and its potency.  The victim ingested the drugs, resulting in their death.  According to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office, the victim’s death was caused by the acute, combined toxic effects of the drugs.

Means pleaded guilty to the charge in the indictment in January 2022.

Under federal law, Means must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Sheriff Greg Speck, Pulaski County Sherriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Trimble.  

-END-

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Morehead, Ky., man, Joshua Preece, 40, was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, after pleading guilty to enticing a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography.  Preece is a former Bath County Deputy Sheriff.     

According to Preece’s plea agreement, on November 5, 2018, he admitted to answering a call about a minor victim who was acting out of control at her residence.  After responding, he transported the victim to a remote area in Bath County.  There, Preece sexually assaulted the victim, later asking for sexually explicit photos of the victim via Snapchat.  When reviewing Preece’s phone, law enforcement found multiple sexually explicit images.

Preece admitted to the conduct and pleaded guilty to the charge in October 2021.

Under federal law, Preece must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.

“The conduct in this case is simply disgraceful,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.  “The offense itself – a brazen act of child exploitation and abuse – is abhorrent, but the fact that he did it while he was a law enforcement officer makes it even more so.  He abused a vulnerable victim, while also betraying a public trust and doing enduring disservice to the dedicated efforts of all law enforcement.  I am grateful for hard work of our law enforcement partners, whose efforts made this prosecution possible.”

United States Attorney Shier; Robert Holman, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service; and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and KSP.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Marye. 

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov..

-END-

LONDON, Ky. — A McKee, Ky., man, Christopher Cool, 59, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison on Friday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, after pleading guilty to one count of violating the Lacey Act.

The Lacey Act makes it unlawful to commercialize and sell wildlife, in interstate commerce, if you know or should have known that the wildlife was taken, possessed, transported, or sold in a manner that is unlawful under the law or regulation of any state, the United States or a foreign country.

According to Cool’s plea agreement, in July 2020, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service discovered that Cool had 246 Eastern Box Turtles at his residence, which he was intending to sell and ship to individuals outside of Kentucky.  The commercialization and sale of these turtles is prohibited by Kentucky statue and regulation; and without a permit, a person is only allowed to possess five or fewer turtles for personal use.  Further investigation revealed that between July 2019 and July 2020, Cool had sold 669 Eastern Box Turtles, which had been taken from the wild in Kentucky.  Cool received an average of $100 a turtle.

In June 2021, U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents received reports from Pennsylvania and West Virginia wildlife officers indicating that Cool was selling and trafficking turtles in interstate commerce.  According to information received, Cool was seen with over 125 Eastern Box Turtles while traveling through West Virginia.  At the time, Cool admitted to others that he was bringing the turtles from Kentucky and was getting paid $200 a turtle, by out of state purchasers.  Cool was arrested in McKee, on September 15, 2021.

Cool pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act in November 2021.

“The Lacey Act is an important tool for preserving our valuable wildlife resources,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.  “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners, both state and federal, without whom this prosecution could not have been possible and this threat to protected wildlife could have continued.”   

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, considers the illegal collection and commercialization of Eastern Box Turtles a high priority,” said Stephen Clark, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  “We will continue to work closely with our State partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute these important cases.”

Under federal law, Cool must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for two years. Cool is also required to complete 80 hours of community service.

U.S. Attorney Shier and Special Agent in Charge Clark jointly announced the sentencing.

The case was investigated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, and Pennsylvania Game Commission.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily K. Greenfield.

– END –

ASHLAND, Ky. - A Portsmouth, Ohio, man was convicted on Wednesday, by a federal jury in Ashland, of kidnapping and sexual assault.

After an hour of deliberations, following a three-day trial, the jury convicted 53-year-old Charles Glorioso, 53, of one count of kidnapping and one count of sexual assault.

According to the testimony at trial, on July 10, 2020, and the early hours of July 11, 2020, Charles Glorioso and Nathan Welch kidnapped a woman at knifepoint.  The victim was driving the two men in her vehicle, from Portsmouth, into Greenup County, Kentucky.  There, the victim testified, both men physically and sexually assaulted her, until she was allowed to leave, when she traveled back across the river on foot.  The incident was reported to the police and she was transported to the hospital, for treatment of multiple injuries sustained during the assault. Later, where the assault took place in Greenup County, officers located the victim’s abandoned vehicle, her belt, shoe, and sandal, as well as the knife used during the kidnapping, all in or near the vehicle.

Welch and Glorioso were both indicted in January 2021.  Welch was convicted by a federal jury in December 2021.  

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Louisville Division; Col. Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Chief Debby Brewer, Portsmouth Police Department, jointly announced the verdict.

The investigation was conducted by FBI, KSP, the Portsmouth Police Department, and the Ohio Bureau of Investigation.  The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Villalobos.

Glorioso is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27, 2022, and Welch is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2022. They each face a maximum of life in prison.  However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.

— END —

PIKEVILLE, Ky.- Eugene Sisco, III, 36, of Pikeville, Ky., was sentenced Tuesday to serve 125 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier, after a jury convicted him in November 2021 of wire fraud and health care fraud.

According to the trial evidence, Sisco operated several medication assisted treatment (“MAT”) clinics in Pike, Floyd, and Harlan Counties that offered treatment to patients suffering from opioid addiction.  These clinics were enrolled as providers in the Kentucky Medicaid program, and under Kentucky law were required to bill that insurance program for MAT services rendered to Medicaid patients.  The evidence demonstrated that Sisco deceived patients into paying $200-$300 per month in cash for treatment at his clinics, despite having Medicaid insurance, by falsely claiming his clinics were not eligible to bill Medicaid for certain services they provided.  The evidence at trial showed that the cash payments from patients totaled around $5 million between May 2016 and October 2019, most of it from Medicaid beneficiaries for whom the services should have cost nothing.  At the same time, Sisco caused his clinics to bill Medicaid for MAT services, receiving millions in reimbursements from that program as well.

The jury also found that Sisco engaged in a health care fraud scheme, by causing his laboratory, Toxperts, LLC, to bill for medically unnecessary urine drug testing of samples collected from patients at his clinics.  The physician witnesses at trial testified that they did not order this urine drug testing, and that some of it was done at Sisco’s direction for billing purposes, as opposed to any medical reason.  Sisco is not a doctor or medical professional.  At sentencing, Judge Wier found that this fraud caused a loss of more than $2 million to the Medicaid and Medicare programs.           

Under federal law, Sisco must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  In addition, Sisco was ordered to pay $5.7 million in restitution.  Sisco will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years, following his release from prison.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Daniel Cameron, Attorney General of Kentucky; and Col. Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by FBI, KSP, and the Office of the Attorney General, Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey. 

— END —

LONDON, Ky. – Courtney Leo Pierce, 32, of Louisville, was sentenced late Friday to 220 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier, for methamphetamine trafficking. 

A federal jury found Pierce guilty of possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine, in October 2021.  Trial testimony revealed that Pierce had been supplying Knox County drug dealers with methamphetamine that he brought in from Louisville.  On April 2, 2020, the Knox County Sheriff’s Department stopped Pierce’s vehicle and recovered over 300 grams of methamphetamine.  Because Pierce engaged in this conduct after having already been convicted of a serious violent felony, his sentence was enhanced.  

Under federal law, Pierce must serve 85 percent of his 220-month prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for ten years following his release.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division; Mike Smith, Knox County Sheriff; and Col. Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence. 

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Kentucky State Police. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew H. Trimble.

— END —

LEXINGTON, Ky.- In four separate indictments, issued by a federal grand jury sitting in London, 17 Kentuckians have been indicted with various offenses related to animal fighting and cruelty.

In the first indictment, the grand jury charged Cruz Alejandro Mercado-Vazquez, 43, of Maysville, Ky., with two counts of attempted bribery and one count of possessing animals for the purpose of having the animals participate in an animal fighting venture.

The indictment alleges that, on two separate occasions, Mercado-Vaquez offered a bribe of more than $5,000, to the Mason County Sheriff, to influence the Sheriff in connection with a planned animal fighting venture.  The indictment further alleges that Mercado-Vazquez knowingly bought, possessed, and trained roosters to participate in an animal fighting venture.

In the second indictment, the grand jury charged Rickie Dale Johnson, 55, Jacklyn Rachelle Johnson, 31, Harold “Fuzzy” Hale, 72, all of London, Ky, with conspiracy to knowingly sponsor and exhibit animals in an animal fighting venture, in connection with the Bald Rock chicken pit in Laurel County.  The indictment alleges that Rickie Johnson rented property from Hale and, for at least two months in 2021, operated regular animal fighting ventures at that location, with assistance from Jacklyn Johnson.  The following individuals were also charged with exhibiting an animal, specifically a rooster, in the animal fighting venture at the Bald Rock pit: 

            Orville D. Asher, 39, of London, Ky

            Dallas Cope, 35, of Livingston, Ky

            Hiram B. Creech, Jr., 47, of East Bernstadt, Ky

            Bradley Cye Rose, 72, of Parkers Lake, Ky.

            Joshua Westerfield, 36, of London, Ky         

In the third indictment, the grand jury charged Millard Oscar Hubbard, 72, of Manchester, Ky.; Timothy Sizemore, 42, of Manchester, Ky.; Beachel Collett, 28, of Oneida, Ky.; Lester Collett, 25, of Manchester, Ky.; and Justin Smith, 33, of Manchester, Ky., with one count each of conspiracy to knowingly sponsor and exhibit animal fighting ventures.  Sizemore was also charged with knowingly promoting the animal fighting events using instrumentalities of interstate commerce. 

The third indictment alleges that, between November 2018 and January 2020, the defendants conspired to operate weekly animal fighting ventures at Riverside Game Club, in Manchester, Ky.  The indictment further alleges that Riverside Game Club was owned and operated by Hubbard.  Sizemore, with the assistance of Beachel and Lester Collett, organized the participants into various fights, cataloged the entry fees, the weight of the roosters, tracked the weapons used on the animals, arranged the fights and tracked the wins and losses of various participants.  Sizemore allegedly distributed advertising material about the fights, and Hubbard collected admissions fees and had trailers that could be rented to individuals who participated in the animal fighting.  It was also alleged that, the defendants paid regular employees, including Smith, to work the fights.

The third indictment further charged Sizemore with one count conspiracy to operate a weekly animal fighting venture at Blackberry Chicken Pit, located in Pike County, Kentucky.  It alleges that Sizemore, with the assistance of others, operated weekly animal fighting ventures at Blackberry between May 2020 and December 2021.           

In the fourth indictment, the grand jury charged Walter H. Mitchell, 55, of Ewing, Ky, Jerrard McVey, 47, and Linda McVey, 42, of Carlisle, Ky, with conspiracy to knowingly sponsor and exhibit animals in an animal fighting venture, in connection with the Valley, a chicken pit on the border of Nicholas and Fleming Counties.

“Animal fighting ventures are cruel and illegal,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.  “We are committed to enforcing federal animal cruelty laws and I want to commend the efforts of our law enforcement partners, whose dedication and effort led to these indictments for the Eastern District of Kentucky.”

“The gruesome ritual of animal fighting simply has no place in a civilized society.  Animal cruelty, however, is just one criminal aspect surrounding this barbaric activity.  Whether it is illegal gambling or the attempted corruption of our public officials, the criminal enterprise surrounding cockfighting operations will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen, FBI Louisville Office. “Through outstanding cooperation and great work, the FBI and its state and federal law enforcement partners have dealt a serious blow to cockfighting and a multitude of other criminal activities in the Eastern District of Kentucky.” 

United States Attorney Shier; Jason M. Williams, Acting Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Cohen; Colonel Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; and Superintendent Rob Townsend, Indiana Gaming Commission, jointly announced the indictments.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by USDA, FBI, KSP, and the Indiana Gaming Commission. The cases are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Smith and Andrea Mattingly-Williams. 

Each defendant faces up to 5 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Mercado-Vasquez faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for the attempted bribery counts. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

            Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.                                                                                                       

— END —

LONDON, Ky.— A Hazard, Ky., man, Eric Edward Shuffler, 40, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, after pleading guilty to methamphetamine trafficking and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to Shuffler’s plea agreement, on August 4, 2020, law enforcement stopped Shuffler and he was found to have a loaded 9mm handgun in the backseat of his car, along with a black bag that contained ammunition, 210 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales, and $3,051 in cash. Shuffler admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine and he carried the firearm for his protection in his drug trafficking activities.

Shuffler pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2021.

Under federal law, Shuffler must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Filed Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Rabold.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprhensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

-END-

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Christopher Adam Cole, 34, of Knott County, was sentenced on Friday to 294 months in federal prison, by United States District Judge Robert E. Wier, for charges related to two armed carjackings. 

According to his plea agreement, Cole admitted to using a firearm to steal a vehicle from a victim on August 28, 2020.  Cole also admitted that, just a few days later, on September 4, 2020, he stole a vehicle from another victim.  During the sentencing hearing, the Court found that, on September 4, 2020, the victim had jumped on the hood of the vehicle, in an attempt to keep Cole from stealing the vehicle, and only let go when Cole pointed a gun at him.  The victim sustained a broken leg and collarbone in connection with the incident. 

Under federal law, Cole must serve 85 percent of his 294-month prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years following his release. Additionally, Cole was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,120 to the victim of the September 4, 2020 carjacking.   

During the September 4, 2020 carjacking, Cole was assisted by Angela “Granny” Vanover, age 44, of Perry County.  Vanover pled guilty to aiding and abetting the carjacking, by driving the vehicle while it was being stolen from the victim.  Vanover was also sentenced on Friday, to 126 months in federal prison.  Vanover was also ordered to pay restitution the victim. 

Brandi Hurt, age 28, of Perry County, who pled guilty to assisting Cole during the August 28, 2020 carjacking was previously sentenced to 67 months in federal prison.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; R. Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Louisville Field Division; Joseph Engle, Perry County Sheriff; and Dale Richardson, Knott County Sheriff, jointly announced the sentences.

The investigation was completed by the ATF, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, and Knott County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance by the Kentucky State Police.  The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew H. Trimble.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities.  It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

— END —

LONDON, Ky. – A Letcher County Middle School teacher, Charles Evans Hall Jr., was sentenced on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, to 370 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, for production of child pornography and cyberstalking a student.  

According to the evidence presented at Hall’s trial, Hall persuaded a child to setup a secret Snapchat account.  Hall then manipulated the child into creating and transmitting sexually explicit pictures and videos.  The Kentucky State Police (KSP) seized Hall’s cell phone on November 20, 2018.  Thereafter, Hall used an Instagram account to engage in Cyberstalking.  Additionally, Hall repeatedly requested the minor victim help him destroy evidence and threatened the child when she did not comply.

Following his arrest, Hall then bartered with his cellmate to get a co-conspirator, who was not in custody, to continue the Cyberstalking campaign against the child.  Hall told the minor victim to make another statement to law enforcement to clear him of the charges.

The Court applied numerous sentencing enhancements, based on evidence of his engaging in sex acts with a minor, obstructing justice, abusing a position of trust, and being a repeat and dangerous sex offender against minors.

Hall was convicted, after a three-day jury trial, on October 20, 2021.  Under federal law, Hall must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence; and upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for Life.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Louisville Division; and Commissioner Col. Phillip Burnette, Jr., Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

— END —

LONDON, Ky. – Daniel Randall Ramsey-Greene, 27, of Middlesboro, Kentucky, was sentenced Tuesday, to 300 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, for production of child pornography. 

According to his plea agreement and sentencing hearing, while a foster parent, Ramsey-Greene setup a wireless camera in the bathroom of his residence, to capture videos and images of his foster child’s genitals.  Ramsey-Greene then saved these images to his cell phone.  In April of 2020, Ramsey-Greene also made the victim smoke marijuana.  Thereafter, Ramsey-Greene sexually molested the young boy.  The victim’s mother informed the Middlesboro Police Department of the abuse.

Law enforcement removed the victim from Ramsey-Greene’s custody and seized Ramey-Greene’s cellular phone and wireless camera system.  The Kentucky State Police (KSP) Electronic Crimes Branch performed a forensic analysis of Ramsey-Greene’s electronics, which revealed that Ramsey-Greene produced sexually explicit images of another minor,  who was another foster child that Ramsey-Greene ultimately adopted.  Electronic evidence and forensic interviews revealed that Ramsey-Greene produced pornographic images of both boys between September of 2019 and April of 2020. 

The Court applied numerous sentencing enhancements, based on evidence of his engaging in sex acts with a minor, being a parent or guardian of the victims, and being a repeat and dangerous sex offender against minors.  Ramsey-Greene entered his guilty plea, to two counts of production of child pornography, on June 8, 2021. Under federal law, Ramsey-Greene must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence; and upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for Life.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Louisville Division; Col. Phillip Burnette, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, and Michael Orr, Middlesboro Police Chief, jointly announced the sentence.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

-END-

LONDON, Ky. — A Williamsburg, Kentucky, man, Nathan Blankenship, 35, was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison on Friday, by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier, for aggravated methamphetamine trafficking.

Blankenship was part of a 16-defendant methamphetamine trafficking organization which spread across Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.  The investigation revealed that the conspiracy was supplied by a Chattanooga, Tennessee, man, Chad Burnette, 36.  Burnette, who was incarcerated in the Georgia Department of Corrections, used social media platforms, smuggled cell phones, and used Green Dot cards to move over 100 kilograms of methamphetamine, into the Eastern District of Kentucky, from December of 2018 through January of 2020.  Burnette utilized cartel connections to fulfill his methamphetamine orders.  

Burnette employed middleman Michael Revis, 32, of Chattanooga, Tennessee to arrange methamphetamine drops in Atlanta, for Kentucky based traffickers.  Revis charged his fellow co-conspirators a 10% commission to arrange the transactions with Burnette.  On August 11, 2021, Revis was convicted of aggravated methamphetamine trafficking and witness tampering, following a federal jury trial in London.  The ATF seized over a dozen firearms in connection with the investigation including assault rifles, homemade explosives, and body armor.

The other defendants received the following sentences for their roles in the drug trafficking operation:  

• Michael Revis, 32, of Chattanooga, 324 months and 5 years supervised release
• Chad Lee Burnette, 36, of Chattanooga, 276 months and 5 years supervised release
• Charles Coleman Burnette, 58, of Hamilton County, Tenn., 89 months and 4 years supervised release
• Diana Faye Elliott, 34, of Hixson, Tenn., 98 months and 3 years supervised release
• Michael Brock, 61, of Frakes, Ky., 65 months and 4 years supervised release
• Goldie Webb, 65, of Frakes, 35 months and 3 years supervised release
• Phillip Ohara (deceased), of Williamsburg, Ky., 100 months, 5 years supervised release
• David Lee Butler, 42, of Williamsburg, 105 months and 5 years supervised release
• Dakota Sean Wade Lovins, 26, of Williamsburg, 69 months and 5 years supervised release
• Danny Elliott, 44, of Williamsburg, 88 months and 5 years supervised release
• Ashley Lynn Lay, 38, of Williamsburg, 91 months and 5 years supervised release
• Jerry White, 44, of Williamsburg, 60 months and 4 years supervised release
• Herbert Hood, 46, of Williamsburg, 23 months and 2 years supervised release
• Ronnie Albertini, 41, of Duff, Tenn., 78 months, 5 years supervised release
• Ricky Ayers, 36, of Lafollette, Tenn., 65 months and 5 years supervised release
• Tammy Elliott, 42, of Jellico, Tenn., 100 months and 5 years supervised release  

Under federal law, each of the defendants must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. 

“There are few greater threats to our community than illegal drug trafficking, which frequently brings with it firearms, violence, overdoses, and other criminal activity,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.  “We, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to using all the tools available to us to combat this danger to our community, including enhancing our focus on the detection, prosecution and punishment of armed, violent drug traffickers, whose crimes take an enormous toll on the safety and security of us all.”

“Drug trafficking organizations often use firearms to further their criminal activity, increasing the threat to our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Division. “Protecting the public is at the core of ATF’s mission.  ATF’s Louisville Division will continue to work with our partners, like the DEA and Williamsburg Police, to target armed drug dealers and remove them from our communities. This investigation is an example of our commitment to protecting the public and making Kentucky safer.”

“Drug trafficking organizations that threaten the health and safety of our communities with violence and illicit drugs will be brought to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division.  “The DEA, working with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to this mission, at a time when Americans are dying from drug overdoses in record numbers.”

U.S. Attorney Shier; SAC Morrow, ATF, Louisville Field Division; SAC Scott, DEA. Louisville Field Division; and Chief Wayne Bird, Williamsburg Police Department, jointly announced the sentences.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF, the DEA, and the Williamsburg Police Department.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jenna E. Reed and Jason Parman.

This case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. The PSN program involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.                                                                                                                                

-END-

COVINGTON, Ky. – Shannon Baker, 34, and Ryan Bell, 35, both from Florence, Ky., were sentenced Tuesday, to 150 months and 72 months, respectively, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, after previously admitting to conspiring with others to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine.                       

According to her plea agreement, Baker led a conspiracy that distributed more than five kilograms of crystal methamphetamine throughout Northern Kentucky.  Officers seized significant amounts of methamphetamine from various members of the trafficking conspiracy in Boone, Campbell, and Grant Counties during the investigation.  Baker recruited Bell to join the conspiracy, after her arrest on January 4, 2021.  Bell took over operations and distributed methamphetamine for a short time, before his arrest, on January 21, 2021.  Baker and Bell each had a prior felony conviction for a drug offense, prior to the commission of this offense.   

Three other members of the conspiracy have already been sentenced.  Chad Beach was sentenced to 24 months, on January 25, 2022; Zachary Schwaller was sentenced to 84 months, on January 27, 2022; and Eric Mann was sentenced to 84 months in prison on February 8, 2022.  A final member of the group, Samantha Miller Bell, is scheduled for sentencing on March 8, 2022.

Baker and Bell pleaded guilty in October 2021.                

Under federal law, each Defendant must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence.  Baker and Bell will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years, following their release from prison.

Carlton S. Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Detroit Field Division; and Scott Hardcorn, Director of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force, jointly announced the sentences. 

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke.

— END —

LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Paris, Ky., man, Joseph Moctezuma Lopez, 28, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Joseph Hood, after pleading guilty to production of child pornography.           

According to Lopez’s plea agreement, in or before August 2017, he admitted to meeting a minor victim online and communicating with her over social media applications and the Internet for over two years.  In September 2019, Lopez traveled from Lexington, to the Canadian border to meet the victim; but he was stopped at the border.  Law enforcement found explicit photographs of the victim on his phones, which Lopez admitted he enticed the victim into producing.

Lopez pleaded guilty in November 2021.

Under federal law, Lopez must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jerry Templet, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Lexington Police Department.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Marye and Andrea Mattingly Williams.  

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

– END –

LONDON, Ky. — Two Rockholds, Kentucky, men, Jake Messer, 38, and George Oscar Messer, 62, have been convicted by federal juries sitting in London, of two counts of kidnapping. Jake Messer was convicted on Thursday morning, after a three-day trial.  George Oscar Messer was convicted on January 13, 2022, after his three-day trial

According to trial evidence, the kidnappings were motivated by a drug transaction that went off track. The Messers kidnapped two victims, in Rockholds, and transported them to a remote trailer in Manchester.  There, the victims were held for approximately 24 hours, during which time they were interrogated.  One victim was repeatedly sexually assaulted.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Drug Enforcement and Special Investigations Unit recovered 15 firearms and numerous controlled substances from the Messer residence.  Several of the firearms, including an assault rifle, were used in furtherance of the kidnappings.  

The Messers were indicted in November of 2020.  Their two co-conspirators, Joshua Mills and Stephen S. Jewell, previously entered guilty pleas to kidnapping and are likewise awaiting sentencing.  

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn S. Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police jointly announced the verdicts.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and KSP.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna E. Reed.

Jake Messer will appear for sentencing on May 31, 2022; George Oscar Messer will appear on May 11, 2022; Joshua Mills will appear on May 16, 2022; and Stephen S. Jewell will appear on May 6, 2022.

Each defendant faces a maximum of Life in prison.  However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing the sentence.

This case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. The PSN program involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

-END-

A former National Football League (NFL) player was sentenced today to five years in prison for orchestrating a nationwide scheme to defraud a health care benefit program for retired NFL players.  

According to court documents, Robert McCune, 42, of Riverdale, Georgia, defrauded the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan (the Plan). The Plan was established pursuant to the NFL’s 2006 collective bargaining agreement. It provided former players, their spouses and their dependents, up to a maximum of $350,000 per player tax-free reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical care expenses that were not covered by insurance.

Court documents show that McCune submitted false and fraudulent claims to the Plan on his own behalf and on behalf of dozens of other former NFL players. Between June 5, 2017, and April 12, 2018, he submitted 68 claims for 51 other players. The claims typically sought reimbursement of $40,000 or more for expensive medical equipment such as hyperbaric oxygen chambers, ultrasound machines and electromagnetic therapy devices. None of the medical equipment described in the claims was ever purchased or received. In total, McCune and his co-conspirators submitted approximately $2.9 million in fraudulent claims to the Plan.  

Court documents further show that McCune obtained identifying information for other participants in the Plan, including the player’s name, insurance identification number, social security number, mailing address and/or date of birth. In exchange for submitting the false and fraudulent claims, McCune demanded kickbacks and bribes in the thousands of dollars for each claim submitted. 

McCune pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of health care fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.

Thirteen other defendants have been sentenced for their participation in the nationwide scheme:

• John Eubanks, 38, of Cleveland, Mississippi, was sentenced to 18 months in prison;
• Tamarick Vanover, 47, of Tallahassee, Florida, and Ceandris Brown, 39, of Iowa Colony, Texas, were each sentenced to a year and a day in prison;
• Correll Buckhalter, 43, of Colleyville, Texas, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, followed by 300 days’ home detention;
• Clinton Portis, 40, of Fort Mill, South Carolina, was sentenced to six months in prison, followed by 180 days’ home detention;
• Etric Pruitt, 40, of Theodore, Alabama, was sentenced to three months in prison, followed by 180 days’ home detention;
• James Butler, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to two months in prison, followed by 180 days’ home detention;
• Carlos Rogers, 40, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was sentenced to 180 days’ home detention and 400 hours of community service;
• Anthony Montgomery, 37, of Cleveland, Ohio; Antwan Odom, 40, of Irvington, Alabama; Darrell Reid, 39, of Farmingdale, New Jersey; and Fredrick Bennett, 38, of Port Wentworth, Georgia, were each sentenced to 180 days’ home detention and 240 hours of community service; and
• Joe Horn, 50, of Columbia, South Carolina, was sentenced to 200 hours of community service.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the FBI and included efforts by various FBI Field Offices and Resident Agencies, including Augusta, Georgia; Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama; Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Columbia, South Carolina; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Jackson, Mississippi; Lexington, Kentucky; New Orleans, Louisiana; Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa, Florida; Newark, New Jersey; Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and Newport Beach, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Washington, D.C. 

Assistant Chief John (Fritz) Scanlon and Trial Attorney Alexander J. Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Smith of the Eastern District of Kentucky prosecuted the case.

COVINGTON, Ky. – A Covington man, Deshaun A. Jackson, 39, was sentenced to 252 months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S District Judge David Bunning, after previously pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.           

Jackson led a conspiracy that distributed approximately a kilogram of crack cocaine, and lesser amounts of heroin, in the Covington area from March through July 2020.  Jackson also possessed a firearm in furtherance of the commission of these offenses.  Jackson has four prior felony convictions, including two for drug trafficking. 

Jackson pleaded guilty in October 2021

Under federal law, Jackson must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years after his release from prison. 

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Rob Nader, Chief of the Covington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Covington Police Department.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke.

— END —

FRANKFORT, Ky.— A Versailles, Ky., man, Timothy Caylor, 49, was sentenced to 444 months (37 years) in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, after pleading guilty to production of child pornography.

According to Caylor’s plea agreement, after receiving a complaint of a couple whose daughter had received inappropriate text and voice messages from Caylor, law enforcement went to Caylor’s mother’s residence, where he was staying.  Officers found him hiding in the bathroom and asked for his consent to search his phones, where they found child exploitation material, including images of unidentified minors.  A search warrant from Caylor’s Instagram and Facebook revealed he induced two minors to take and send sexual images. Caylor admitted that he had contacted minors online, and he sent them sexual images, as well.

Caylor was previously convicted of first-degree Sexual Abuse in Boone Circuit Court in February 1998.

Caylor pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2021.

Under federal law, Caylor must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jerry Templet, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Filed Division; and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security-HSI, FBI and KSP.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Marye.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

– END –

LONDON, Ky. — A Corbin, Kentucky, man, Douglas M. Edmonson, 38, was sentenced to 43 years in federal prison on Friday, by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier, for kidnapping.             

According to evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, Edmonson and his three co-defendants lured a victim to a location in Tennessee, using an unrelated party’s Facebook account. Edmonson and his co-defendants then forced the victim into a vehicle and transported her to Corbin.  Edmonson used a .38 revolver and a homemade pipe bomb to coax the victim’s compliance. The victim was bound, blindfolded, and repeatedly assaulted during the 2-day kidnapping.  In describing the offense conduct, the Court stated, “[i]f hell is a place, it is almost on the edge of hell.  Seeing how people can behave toward each other and treat each other.  It is degrading.  It is exploitive.  It is sub-human to treat a person this way and to put a person in such fear for her life and to strip her, literally and figuratively, of human dignity so astonishingly.”

The Court also found that Edmonson occupied a leadership role, employed a dangerous weapon, and demanded a ransom.  The Court further ruled that Edmonson sexually exploited and inflicted serious bodily injury upon the victim. The yearlong investigation revealed that Edmonson and his co-defendants employed firearms, as well as destructive devices during the kidnapping. On August 11, 2018, ATF agents were called to the kidnapping scene and assisted in locating and detonating several homemade destructive devices.  The evidence revealed that the kidnapping was fueled by a perceived methamphetamine debt and underlying drug trafficking on the part of Edmonson.

In handing down the sentence, the Court commented that, “in the meth world there's almost a parallel culture where people in that world believe that they're their own police, they're their own law enforcement, they're their own collection agents. That they are operating outside of the boundaries that the rest of us take for granted.  And I think that most of America would be kind of shocked what I hear in this courtroom month after month.”

Edmonson pleaded guilty in September 2021.

Edmonson’s co-defendant, Bryanna Soper, 27, of Corbin, Ky., was sentenced to 396 months and five years of supervised release. Dallas Chain Perkins, 23, of Jellico, Tenn., and Erik Peace, 34, of Corbin, Ky., are scheduled to be sentenced in February 2022.

“The victim in the case was lured, restrained, held for drugs or ransom, threatened with firearms and homemade explosives, brutally beaten, burned, and repeatedly assaulted,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.  “As the Court commented, this uninhibited violence caused unspeakable suffering; so now, the defendant will face the significant consequences of his despicable and brutal conduct.  His appalling crimes more than justify the sentence imposed and serve to strengthen our commitment to combatting the drug trafficking violence in our communities.”

“These defendants were part of an armed drug-trafficking group that committed heinous acts of violence,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Field Division. “I commend the efforts of the ATF agents and our Kentucky State Police and Williamsburg Police partners who worked diligently on this year-long investigation to help bring justice to this victim who has had to endure the unimaginable. We hope that this sentencing brings some form of healing to the victim and sends the message that ATF and our law enforcement partners will not stand by and allow these acts of violence."

Under federal law, Edmonson and Soper must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence.  Upon their release from prison, Edmonson will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 5 years.

United States Attorney Shier; Special Agent in Charge Morrow; Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Chief Wayne Bird, Williamsburg Police Department, jointly announced the sentences.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and KSP, with assistance provided by the Williamsburg Police Department.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna E. Reed.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities.  The PSN program involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts.  In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.                                                                                                                                      

-END-

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office reached an agreement on Tuesday with King’s Daughters Medical Center, a private hospital based in Ashland, Kentucky, to resolve allegations that one of the hospital’s outpatient clinics violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by turning away patients because they had or were being treated for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).

According to a complaint submitted by a prospective patient, King’s Daughters Outpatient Behavioral Medicine, the hospital’s outpatient behavioral medicine clinic, refused to accept her as a patient because she was prescribed buprenorphine, a medication used to treat OUD.  The complaint prompted investigation pursuant to the ADA into the clinic’s practice of turning away prospective patients who were prescribed medications used to treat OUD, like buprenorphine and methadone, or who were diagnosed with OUD. Individuals receiving treatment for OUD are generally considered disabled under the ADA, which, among other things, prohibits private healthcare providers from discriminating on the basis of disability. 

Under the terms of the agreement, King’s Daughters will adopt non-discriminatory admissions policies at the clinic, revise its non-discrimination policy to specifically address discrimination on the basis of OUD, provide training on the ADA and OUD to admissions personnel, pay a civil penalty of $50,000 to the United States, and pay the complainant $40,000 for pain and suffering. 

This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Pond, as part of the U.S. Attorney Program for ADA Enforcement, in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Those interested in finding out more about the ADA or this settlement agreement can call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD) or access the Department’s ADA website at http://www.ada.gov.  More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Danville, Ky., physician, Christopher Marek, 49, pleaded guilty to tax evasion on Tuesday, before Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves.           

According to his plea agreement, between April 2015 and June 2019, Marek underreported income earned through his business, Central Kentucky Plastic Surgery, on his annual IRS income tax returns. Marek admitted to failing to list as income direct payments from patients, as well as only partially listing payments the business received from insurance companies. Overall, Marek failed to list more than $887,000 that he received, and in doing so, Marek caused a $283,687 tax deficiency that is owed by him to the United States.

Marek was indicted in June 2021.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigations, Cincinnati Field Office jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigations. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Moynahan.

Marek is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6, 2022. He faces a maximum of five years in prison. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

— END —

PIKEVILLE, Ky.— A Mt. Sterling, Ky., man, Larry A. Crump, 37, was sentenced to 234 months in prison on Friday, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, after previously pleading guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery, bank robbery, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

According to his guilty plea agreement, Crump admitted to robbing the Cash N Check in Mt. Sterling, on November 16, 2020, and the Peoples Bank of Mt. Sterling, on November 20, 2020, at gunpoint.  Crump also admitted to using a stolen firearm in the commission of the bank robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  The amount of money taken from Cash N Check was approximately $900 and the amount of money stolen from the Peoples’ Bank was approximately $37,000.  Law Enforcement agents recovered approximately $20,000 from the residence of one of Crump’s relatives.  Crump was on parole at the time of the commission of the offenses.

Crump pleaded guilty in October 2021.  

Under federal law, Crump must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Norman Arflack, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Chief Terry Landrum, Chief of Police, Mt. Sterling Police Department; and Jessica Stewart, Bath County Sheriff, announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Mt. Sterling Police Department, and the Bath County Sheriff’s Office.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities.  It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts.  In the Eastern District of Kentucky, the United States Attorney coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

— END —

LONDON, Ky. – Dallas R. Clifford, 49, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier, after previously admitting to engaging in a conspiracy to distribute aggravated amounts of methamphetamine in Laurel, Madison, Rockcastle, and Fayette Counties.   

In his guilty plea agreement, Clifford admitted to receiving pound quantities of methamphetamine from a source of supply and selling to others. Clifford was still on parole for a prior felony drug trafficking conviction at the time he joined the conspiracy.

Clifford is the last of four defendants to be sentenced in the methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy.  Dustin Hurley, 34, Perry County was sentenced to 188 months; Brice Hubbard, 23, Laurel County, was sentenced to 135 months; and Jordan Moore, 23, Madison County was sentenced to 50 months.     

Under federal law, Clifford and his co-defendants must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence. Clifford will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years, after his release from prison. 

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J.Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Louisville Field Division; Phillip Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; Sheriff John Root, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office; and Chief Eric Scott, Berea Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by DEA, Kentucky State Police, the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, and the Berea Police Department.  The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna E. Reed.

-END-

FRANKFORT, KY- A Murfreesboro, Tenn., man, and former Greenup County Sheriff has been indicted for fraud and theft.           

Last week, a federal grand jury sitting in Covington returned an indictment charging 68-year-old Keith Cooper with one count of mail fraud and one count of theft of property from a federally funded agency.            

The indictment alleges that from early 2013 through March 2017, Cooper fraudulently obtained over $50,000 in cash, by making withdrawals and failing to deposit money into a bank account used for law enforcement funds.

Additionally, the indictment alleges that Cooper directed Greenup County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sheriffs to purchase ammunition that did not correspond to firearms issued to them for official duty purposes and then relocate multiple boxes of the ammunition to his private residence.  The indictment alleges that Cooper unlawfully retained approximately 35,000 rounds of ammunition, which was purchased with approximately $30,000 in public funds. The indictment also alleges that Cooper used a vehicle and fuel purchased with Greenup County funds to take a variety of personal out-of-state trips. 

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Daniel Cameron, Attorney General of Kentucky, announced the indictment.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, with the cooperation of the Greenup County Sheriff’s Office.  The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Boone.

A datefor Cooper to appear in court in the Eastern District of Kentucky has not yet been scheduled.  He faces up to 20 years of imprisonment for mail fraud and 10 years of imprisonment for theft of public funds, and a maximum fine of $250,000 for each count. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

            Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

— END —

ASHLAND, Ky. – A Lawrence County man, Dale Allen Fraley, 49, was sentenced on Tuesday, to 57 years in prison, by U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning, after previously being convicted of five counts of production, four counts of receipt, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of a matter containing visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

According to the evidence at trial, Fraley used various online “personas” to induce, persuade, or coerce minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct, for the purpose of producing visual depictions of that conduct.  Fraley, using the online “personas,” would threaten minor females to engage in various sexual acts and record that activity, or send the images to him “live,” via Skype or other applications.  He also persuaded the minors to come to his home, sometimes at the behest of the “personas,” to get “sexual experience” with Dale Fraley as the teacher.  Fraley would sometimes record the sexual activity between himself and the minors at his home, or record the minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Fraley was convicted in May 2021.

Under federal law, Fraley must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Chief Brian Mullins, Eastern Kentucky University Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the Eastern Kentucky University Police Department.  The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Marye and Mary Melton.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

-END-

LONDON, Ky. - A Frankfort, Kentucky man, Patrick Baker, 43, was sentenced to 42 years in prison, with credit for the 30 months he served in state prison, on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, after previously being convicted by a federal jury of murder committed during a drug trafficking crime.

According to testimony at trial, Baker fatally shot Donald L. Mills, Jr., 29, during an armed home invasion, on May 9, 2014, in the Stinking Creek community. Mr. Mills’ pregnant wife and other children were held at gunpoint, while Baker ransacked the victims’ home for oxycodone pills. Baker entered the Mills’ home posing as a United States Marshal.                

According to the evidence at trial, the KSP firearm forensics laboratory tied shell casings recovered from the victim’s master bedroom to Baker’s Kel Tec PF9.  This gun was later recovered from a mud pit in Bell County.  A surveillance video from the London Dollar General also showed Baker purchasing plastic handcuffs, approximately seven hours before the murder.  The same handcuffs were later recovered just feet from where the victim was fatally shot.  Further, cell tower data was used to trace Baker’s movements, throughout May 8 and 9, from London, to Stinking Creek, to Bell County.    

Baker was convicted at trial in August 2021.

“The simple truth of this case is that Patrick Baker was found guilty of planning and committing an armed home invasion, to acquire drugs, where he shot and killed Donald Mills,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “Baker was convicted of a brazen act of violence – one that resulted in a murder, committed while the victim’s family was nearby. I want to commend the dedicated work of all our law enforcement partners and our trial team. Their faithful efforts were critical to the verdict, conviction, and sentence.”

“This was a violent crime that took a victim’s life and devastated a family,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Field Division. “ATF is proud to have worked with the Kentucky State Police and the United States Attorney’s Office in bringing justice to this family.”

United States Attorney Shier; Special Agent in Charge Morrow; and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentencing.

Under federal law, Baker must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years. Baker was also ordered to pay $7,500 for funeral expenses of the victim.

The investigation was conducted by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm and Explosives and the Kentucky State Police. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna E. Reed.

— END —

COVINGTON, Ky. – An Alexandria, Ky., couple was convicted on Thursday, by a federal jury sitting in Covington of harboring undocumented workers.           

After four hours of deliberation, following a three-day trial, a federal jury convicted Yun Zheng, a.k.a. Wendy, 50, and Yan Qui Wu, a.k.a. Jason, 48, of four counts of concealing, harboring, or shielding a person, whom the defendants knew to be present in the United States illegally, for commercial advantage and private financial gain.

According to testimony at trial, from 2014 to 2017, Zheng and Wu owned and operated the Tokyo Dragon Buffet restaurant, located in Alexandria, as husband and wife.  In that capacity, the defendants employed at least four undocumented workers, who were present in the United States illegally.  The evidence established that the defendants knew, or recklessly disregarded facts indicating, that these workers were illegally present in the United States.  The evidence also established that they housed these workers in their own home and provided virtually all the workers’ transportation, to avoid detection. 

One of those workers was badly burned by hot oil, while working at the Tokyo Dragon, but the owners initially refused to take him to the hospital because, in one of the defendant’s own words, he was present illegally and would be deported if the owners transported him to the hospital.  When the worker eventually received treatment, several days later, the nurses who treated him were so disturbed, by what the worker described and the defendants’ conduct, that one of them called a law enforcement hotline.  This began the investigation and resulted in the indictment.              

Zheng and Wu were indicted in September 2021.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jerry Templet, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations; and Lucas T. Cooper, Chief of the Alexandria Police Department; jointly announced the guilty verdicts.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and the Alexandria Police Department.  The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Winslow and Zach Dembo.

Zheng and Wu are scheduled for sentencing on May 4, 2022.  For each of the four counts, they face up to ten years in prison, up to $250,000 fine, and restitution.  However, any sentence following the conviction will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

— END —

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Lost Creek, Ky., man, Kevin Combs, 32, was sentenced to 105 months in federal prison on Tuesday, before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, after pleading guilty to cultivating more than 50 marijuana plants and brandishing a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.           

According to Combs’ guilty plea agreement, on July 16, 2020, Kentucky State Police responded to an investigation regarding suspected marijuana plants growing in a field.  At the location, Combs confronted one of the officers, pointing a stainless-steel, loaded revolver pistol.  When the officer told Combs to lower his pistol, he refused, ran away, and hid the pistol.  The pistol was subsequently recovered as evidence.  Combs further admitted to cultivating more than 50 marijuana plants on the property.

Combs has several prior state felony convictions, including fleeing and evading law enforcement, escape, trafficking in a controlled substance first degree, and trafficking in a controlled substance second degree.                        

Combs pleaded guilty in September 2021.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, announced the sentence.

Under federal law, Combs must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and the Kentucky State Police.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West.

— END —

FRANKFORT, Ky.— A Lexington, Ky., man, Fredrick Lester Jr., 40, was sentenced to 79 months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory VanTatenhove, for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and felon in possession of firearms.

According to Lester’s plea agreement, on July 21, 2020, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on Lester’s vehicle, where they found Lester in possession of 4.8 grams of fentanyl and a loaded Glock.  That same day, law enforcement searched Lester’s residence and found 40 grams of fentanyl and 19 grams of methamphetamine.  While Lester was detained, he made a series of jail calls to individuals telling them to clean out a storage unit.  Law enforcement then obtained a search warrant for the storage unit and found three firearms, ammunition, and a ballistics vest.  Lester admitted that he knew he was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Lester had previously been convicted of being a felon in possession of firearms in 2001 and 2010.

Lester pleaded guilty in September 2021.

Under federal law, Lester must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for ___years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Office; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Lexington Police Department.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts.  In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

—END—

LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Campton, Ky., man, Johnathan E. Garland, 34, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on Monday, by Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph Hood, after pleading guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, distribution of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine, and distribution of fentanyl.

According to Garland’s plea agreement, between November 3 and November 27, 2020, law enforcement made multiple controlled purchases of drugs from Garland.  During four separate transactions, Garland sold various amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl.  After Garland was arrested, a search warrant was served on his residence.  There, law enforcement found additional methamphetamine, tablets marked as “M 30” (containing fentanyl), scales, baggies, more than $4,700 in cash, three shotguns, a rifle, and seven handguns. 

Garland pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2021.

Under federal law, Garland must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Office; Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Berl Purdue, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, announced the sentencing. 

The investigation was conducted by the ATF, KSP, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Villalobos.

– END –