Eastern District of Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Jacksonville, Fl., man, Josh Lee Knittel, 44, was sentenced on October 20 by U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves to 420 months in prison, for the production of child pornography.  

According to his plea agreement, in 2006, Knittel was convicted of a sex offense involving a minor and is a registered sex offender. On July 29, 2024, a person known to the victim found inappropriate text messages between the victim and Knittel on a cell phone. The messages indicated that Knittel was paying the victim for nude pictures. A search of financial accounts and messages confirmed the exchange and on October 16, 2024, law enforcement arrested Knittel. Knittel admitted to paying for sexually explicit images of the victim. 

Under federal law, Knittel 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, and Chief Tony Gray, Jr., Danville Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Danville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.

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LONDON, Ky. – A London, Ky., man and former paramedic, Bradley Callahan, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom to 162 months in prison, for the distribution of child pornography.  

According to his plea agreement, in September 2023, Callahan distributed child pornography by making several posts to a dark web child pornography marketplace, which contained links to videos of child pornography. Included in the links were several explicit videos of child pornography. 

Under federal law, Callahan 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 10 years. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Richmond, Ky., man, Glen Long, Jr., 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 360 months in prison, for the production of child pornography.  

According to his plea agreement, on July 28, 2023, a victim’s mother went to law enforcement after she discovered that her minor child had been sending nude images to an unknown adult male via the internet in exchange for money for Roblox, a video game. Law enforcement obtained the victim’s cellphone, reviewed the explicit messages, and identified the adult male as Long. Long knew that the victim was 14 years old and lied about his own age, falsely telling the victim that he was 16 years old. When confronted by law enforcement, Long admitted that he used the minor victim to produce explicit visual depictions of child pornography. 

Under federal law, Long 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Sheriff Mike Coyle, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the HSI and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.

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LONDON, Ky. – A Kings Mountain, Ky., man, Zackary Keith Jones, 35, was sentenced on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom to 194 months in prison, for transporting a minor over state lines with the intent that the minor engage in sexual activity.

According to his plea agreement, Jones transported a minor victim over state lines, from North Carolina to Lincoln County, Ky., with the intent to engage in sexual activity. Jones used Snapchat to communicate with the vic­­­tim and lied to the victim about his age to induce the victim to engage in prohibited sexual conduct. Jones also admitted that he engaged in sexual acts and sexual contact with the minor victim during and after the interstate transportation of the victim. The victim, who was reported missing from North Carolina on Decemb­­­­er 8, 2023, was found by law enforcement on December 25, 2023 in a hidden compartment in the floor of a bedroom at Jones’ residence.

Under federal law, Jones 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 20 years.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General; and Sheriff Shawn Hines, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by FBI, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. David Dalton, Commonwealth Attorney for the 28th Judicial Circuit, also provided significant assistance to the investigation and prosecution of the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  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.

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LONDON, Ky. – A London man, Edward Albert Ernsting, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom to 76 months in prison, for possession with intent to distribute fluorofentanyl and heroin, as well as a mixture containing methamphetamine.  

According to his plea agreement, on April 9, 2024, Ernsting was found passed out in his vehicle at a gas station, where law enforcement recovered approximately 16 grams of a mixture containing fluorofentanyl, fentanyl, and heroin, and 14 grams of methamphetamine, as well as digital scales, baggies, and $504 in cash from Ernsting’s body and vehicle. Ernsting admitted significant heroin and fentanyl trafficking activity for a year or more before his arrest. 

Under federal law, Ernsting 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Chief Rusty Hedrick, Corbin Police Department; and Sheriff William ‘Bill’ Elliotte, Whitley County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF, Corbin Police Department, and Whitley County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Pearce Nesbitt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Louisville, Ky., man, Benard Babot, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 66 months in prison, for conspiracy to commit money laundering.  

According to his plea agreement, Babot knew that his coconspirators communicated with businesses located around the world, to entice them to send funds to purchase goods his coconspirators falsely purported to sell. Babot opened at least 25 business bank accounts in the actual name of, or a very similar name to, these legitimate companies, which were international food, agricultural, or chemical supply companies, for the purpose of receiving money from the victim purchasers. He opened some of these accounts in Lexington, Kentucky.  According to documents filed with the Court, Babot also set up shell companies with Secretaries of State imitating the legitimate companies.

Babot would then provide the bank account information to his coconspirators, who in turn conveyed it to the victims for the purpose of directing payment. The victims wired money to Babot, and never received the goods they purchased. According to his Plea Agreement, Babot would then funnel the proceeds through additional accounts, send cashier’s checks to conspirators, wire funds to coconspirators located overseas through peer-to-peer money transmission services, and withdraw the funds for personal use, often in amounts exceeding $10,000.

In total, between January 2019 and December 2023, Babot participated in concealing more than $8.2 million in fraud proceeds, resulting from schemes to defraud over 30 international businesses located in more than 25 countries.  According to documents filed with the Court, Babot earned $2,480,392.11 as a result of his participation in the offense and used these proceeds on personal expenditures and personal business ventures, such as his night club in Louisville. 

Under federal law, Babot 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; jointly announced the sentencing. 

The investigation was conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Dieruf is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – An Irvine, Ky., man, Steven Randall Neal, 37, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves to 292 months in prison, for attempting to persuade a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity online.

According to court documents, in 2021, Neal began messaging the minor victim, whom he knew through their family, on Facebook Messenger. On multiple occasions Neal communicated with the victim online, attempting to get the victim to send sexually explicit pictures and ultimately enticing the minor to engage in sexually explicit activity. Furthermore, Neal admitted that on two occasions, he engaged in hands-on sexual abuse of the victim and that he used Facebook Messenger to request the victim’s presence so he could continue the sexual contact. 

Under federal law, Neal 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.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General; and Sheriff Mike Coyle, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by FBI, Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  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.

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COVINGTON, Ky. – A Cincinnati, Ohio, man, Kevin Prince Davis, 46, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 180 months in prison, for possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.  

According to his plea agreement, Davis was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for a traffic violation traveling on I-75. The officer who made the stop noticed the smell of marijuana from the passenger side of the vehicle. Davis was found with marijuana in his pocked.  A search of the vehicle revealed six bricks of cocaine in the rear cargo area. Davis unsuccessfully attempted to flee on foot and eventually admitted to ownership of the cocaine. 

Davis has a previous federal conviction of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of cocaine. 

Under federal law, Davis 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 10 years. 

 Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the HSI and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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LONDON, Ky.- A Harlan, Ky., man was convicted on Thursday by a federal jury in London for producing child pornography.  

After 45 minutes of deliberation following a two-day trial, the jury convicted 42-year-old Brandon Farley of two counts of production of child pornography. 

According to testimony at trial, Farley sexually abused a minor that was in his care and took photos of that abuse.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police jointly announced the conviction.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Farley is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2026. He faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Georgetown, Ky., man, Marvelous Davis, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 93 months in prison, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. 

According to his plea agreement, on November 12, 2024, law enforcement performed a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Davis was a passenger. During the search of the vehicle, law enforcement located an unserialized firearm, also known as a “ghost gun,” under Davis’ seat. Law enforcement also found 39.7 grams of pressed pills containing fentanyl. Davis admitted to possessing the drugs with intent to distribute to others and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activity. 

Under federal law, Davis 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department; and Chief Darin Allgood, Georgetown Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, KSP, Lexington Police Department, and Georgetown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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LEXINGTON, Ky.- A Lexington, Ky., man was convicted on Wednesday, August 27, by a federal jury in Lexington for several firearms offenses. 

After 40 minutes of deliberation following a three-day trial, the jury convicted 41-year-old Keith Lamont Stallworth of carrying and using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; possessing a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possessing a firearm as a convicted felon; possessing a machine gun; and failing to register the machine gun. 

According to testimony at trial, in August 2023, Stallworth was arrested in possession of a .57 caliber Palmetto Arms pistol that contained high velocity rifle rounds and an extended magazine capable of holding an additional 29 rounds. A search warrant at Stallworth’s downtown Lexington apartment yielded a large quantity of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, hundreds of rounds of ammunition as well as a 9mm handgun and an illegally modified .40 caliber pistol.  The pistol was installed with a machinegun conversion device, sometimes called a “switch” or “Glock switch,”  that converted the firearm to a fully automatic weapon defined under federal law as a machinegun.

Stallworth previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; and using a residence for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing controlled substances.     

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department; Chief Michael Fleming, Nicholasville Police Department; and Sheriff Kevin Grimes, Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the conviction.

The investigation was conducted by DEA, ATF, KSP, Lexington Police Department, Nicholasville Police Department, and Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Stallworth is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.

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COVINGTON, Ky. – A Dayton, Ohio, man, Germel Hughes, 45, was sentenced on Friday, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 222 months in prison, for conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue and aiding and abetting the intended distribution of 100 grams or more of a mixture containing a fentanyl analogue.

According to court documents, on January 2, 2024, law enforcement used a confidential informant to arrange a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Earnest Bryson, who agreed to sell a kilogram of fentanyl to the informant. On the following day, Bryson and co-defendants Julius Cole and Gerald Young traveled from Dayton, Ohio, to Fort Wright, Kentucky, to deliver the drugs to the informant. Soon after they arrived, law enforcement parked behind their vehicle and forcibly removed them from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed that an attempt was made to destroy the drugs by mixing them with Coca-Cola. Some of the mixture was tested, however, and found to contain fentanyl as well as fluorofentanyl, a fentanyl analogue. Further investigation revealed that Hughes supplied 100 grams or more of drugs intended to be distributed to the informant.

Cole and Young have both pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and have been sentenced to 132 months and 18 months, respectively.

Under federal law, Hughes 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 10 years.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Director Scott Hardcorn, Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force; and Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by ATF, DEA, Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Winslow is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

-END-

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Milwaukee, Wi., man, Alexander Laykovich, 27, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 48 months in prison, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective. 

According to his plea agreement, on January 25, 2024, Laykovich was stopped by a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Deputy while driving in the Stanford, Ky., area. He had been driving from Wisconsin to North Carolina to Kentucky, where he intended to visit Fort Knox. When Laykovich was stopped, he was wearing body armor, a recording device, and possessed knives, a gas canister, and eight firearms, with six of the firearms being semiautomatic weapons capable of accepting large capacity magazines, and ammunition. A search of his storage unit and delivery boxes in Wisconsin revealed an additional 15 firearms, among other improvised explosive device parts and grenades.

In January 2023, Laykovich had been entered into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, because he had been adjudicated a mental defective and received a lifetime prohibition from purchasing firearms. Laykovich was aware of the 2023 adjudication and knew he was prohibited from owning a firearm. The firearms in Laykovich’s possession on January 25, 2024, had either been purchased by him prior to the January 2023 adjudication and prohibition, or were purchased by his girlfriend afterwards. 

Under federal law, Laykovich 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.

“Illegal firearm possession poses a serious threat to the safety of our communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Paul McCaffrey. “This case reflects the strong collaboration between our office and our federal, state, and local partners, and we are grateful for their commitment to removing illegal firearms from our streets and holding offenders accountable under the law.”

“As a result of law enforcement’s swift actions, a potential act of violence against one of our military installations was thwarted and a large supply of illegally purchased firearms was removed from the hands of a dangerous individual. With this sentence, the defendant has been held accountable for his blatant disregard of the law,” said Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Office. “As always, FBI Louisville and our partners across the Commonwealth are committed to protecting the communities we serve and encourage the public to remain vigilant and immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”

Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey, FBI Special Agent in Charge Olson; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Shawn Hines, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, ATF, KSP, and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Dieruf is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – An Ohio brother and sister, Christiopher Grover Reynolds, 52, of Toledo, Ohio, and Claudette Reynolds, 51, were sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 37 months, for their roles in collecting drug proceeds in the United States and laundering those funds, or their equivalent value, back to Mexico on behalf of a cartel.

According to court documents, Christopher Reynolds collected proceeds from the sale of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana in Toledo and notified a Mexico-based cartel that the funds were ready for laundering and transfer to Mexico. On six occasions, Reynolds personally delivered the money – totaling $784,045 – or enlisted his sister to do so. The money was later transferred to Mexico via cryptocurrency.

A search of Christopher Reynolds’s residence and a traffic stop of Claudette Reynolds led to a seizure of $184,415 in bulk cash, several pounds of marijuana, counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl, two firearms (a .40 caliber pistol and an AR-15 rifle), and a money counting machine.

Under federal law, Christopher Reynolds and Claudette Reynolds must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence. Upon their release from prison, they will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.

“The defendants helped Mexican drug traffickers collect and disguise the profits from selling methamphetamine and fentanyl in Toledo,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their money laundering activities fueled the importation of dangerous drugs into the Midwest. This prosecution reflects the Criminal Division’s commitment to staunch the flow of cash to cartels and protect communities from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking.”

“Money launderers like the Reynolds are critical links in the cartel’s drug trafficking chain,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey.  “We are grateful for the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners in working to disrupt and dismantle that chain.”

“Every dollar they laundered was done so on the backs of overdose victims and their families,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division. “By acting as the cartel’s bankers, these siblings helped fuel the fentanyl and meth crisis tearing through Ohio. DEA will hunt down anyone who dares to wash cartel money — because if you launder blood money for drug traffickers, you will face justice alongside them.”

The DEA Lexington Resident Office investigated the case, working closely with the Detroit Field Division and Rocky Mountain Field Division and assisted by DEA offices in Mexico, Toledo, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Birmingham, Chicago, Cincinnati, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Baltimore, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Portland, Columbia, and Rapid City, with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.

Trial Attorney Elizabeth R. Rabe of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Deputy Criminal Chief Gary Todd Bradbury of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Harrodsburg, Ky., man, Larry Coffman, 42, was sentenced on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 40 years in prison, for two counts of sex trafficking of children and committing a felony involving a minor while being required to register as a sex offender.

Coffman was convicted of the charges in April 2025. According to testimony at trial, in February 2023, Coffman solicited, recruited, and enticed two minor victims to engage in a sex act in exchange for something of value. At the time of the offenses, Coffman had been convicted of a prior sex offense and, as a result, was required to register as a sex offender.

Under federal law, Coffman 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.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief Scott Elder, Harrodsburg Police Department; and Sheriff Mike Coyle, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by HSI, Harrodsburg Police Department, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  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. – A Pontiac, Michigan, man, Marvin Hunter, Jr., 32, was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 132 months, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

According to his plea agreement, between August 2021 and March 7, 2024, Hunter regularly imported methamphetamine and fentanyl from Michigan into Magoffin County. Hunter had local associates in Magoffin County who assisted him in distributing the drugs to other dealers and users there. During a search of the Magoffin County residence that was their operational base in April of 2023, law enforcement located over a kilogram of methamphetamine, over 40 grams of fentanyl, and three firearms.  Law enforcement subsequently used a confidential informant to make controlled purchases of methamphetamine and fentanyl from Hunter.

Hunter’s co-defendants were previously sentenced for their role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Jennifer Fletcher, 45, and Minnie Johnson, 60, both of Salyersville, Ky., each received 84 months in prison and five years of supervised release. 

Under federal law, Hunter 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.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Sheriff William “Bill” Meade, Magoffin County Sheriff, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Magoffin County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

COVINGTON, Ky. – A Cincinnati, Ohio, man, Deshawn Parker, 30, was sentenced on Thursday, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 24­­­­ months in prison, for possession of a machinegun. 

According to court documents, on September 21, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Parker’s vehicle in Covington and detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. When they asked Parker to exit the car to conduct a drug investigation, Parker refused and attempted to drive off. Officers were able to remove him from the vehicle and found a small amount of marijuana and spent shell casings from a firearm. Additionally, they found a loaded pistol under the driver’s seat. The pistol was equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD). These devices are commonly referred to as “switches” or “Glock switches.”

Under federal law, Parker 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.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Brian Valenti, Covington Police Department, jointly announced the conviction.

The investigation was conducted by ATF and the Covington Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

– END –

COVINGTON, Ky. – A Cincinnati, Ohio, man, Devante Garrett, 30, was sentenced on Thursday, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 360 months in prison, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue with intent to distribute, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Garrett was convicted of the charges in May 2025 at the conclusion of a four-day trial. Evidence at trial showed that Garrett led a conspiracy to distribute more than 275 grams of a substance containing a fentanyl analogue, more than 40 grams of fentanyl, and cocaine.  He was arrested in Kenton County on October 14, 2023, with these drugs hidden behind the panel of the driver’s door of the vehicle he was operating.  Garrett was previously arrested in Boone County on August 17, 2023, while in possession of $6,440 in cash and a scale containing residue of fentanyl and cocaine. Additional witness testimony showed that Garrett and James Waller, another Cincinnati resident, regularly traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, to distribute fentanyl and cocaine from May 2023 through October 2023.   

Four other members of the conspiracy pled guilty and have already been sentenced to prison terms.  James Waller received a sentence of 132 months.  Quintus Jones received a sentence of 60 months.  Kasey Allen received a sentence of 54 months. Christopher Scull received a sentence of 6 months. 

Under federal law, Garrett 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.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; Chief Brian Valenti, Covington Police Department; Chief Bill Birkenhauer, Highland Heights Police Department; and Sheriff Michael Helmig, Boone County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by DEA, KSP, Covington Police Department, Highland Heights Police Department, and Boone County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Spievack and Tony Bracke.

– END –

COVINGTON, Ky. – A Florence, Ky., man, Osvaldo Pardo, 33, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 144 months in prison, for possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to his plea agreement, in February 2025, law enforcement used a confidential source to conduct controlled purchases of cocaine from Pardo, who was known to be selling drugs out of a motel in Florence. Later that month, law enforcement searched Pardo’s motel room and found 807.4 grams of cocaine and $1,440. In addition to the cocaine and cash, officers found 2,973 grams of marijuana, a pistol, digital scale, and a money counter. Pardo admitted to possessing these items, including the cocaine and the firearm, and he further admitted that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activity.

Under federal law, Pardo 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.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Detroit Field Division; and Chief Jeff Mallery, Florence Police Department, jointly announced the sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Florence Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Winslow is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

COVINGTON, Ky. – A Michigan man, Malcolm Culmer, 36, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to wire fraud and money laundering arising out of a scheme to unlawfully obtain various COVID-19 pandemic relief benefits.

In 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, established several new unemployment compensation programs that were funded primarily by the federal government and administered by state workforce agencies. Later that same year, the President authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to expend money for lost wage assistance, as a supplement to unemployment compensation programs. The CARES Act also expanded existing federal programs, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The EIDL Program provides loans for small businesses suffering from an economic disaster.

According to his plea agreement, from April 2020 to July 2021, Culmer made material false statements in order to obtain money from various government relief and COVID-19 relief programs. Culmer fabricated information about employment history, residence, and business ventures, and applied for relief funds using that false information. In total, Culmer submitted eight EIDL applications on behalf of fictitious companies, attempting $1,091,499 in EIDL loans, of which $187,500 was approved.

Similarly, Culmer also applied for pandemic unemployment benefits in Kentucky, which contained false statements and representations. His fraudulent application was approved, and he obtained $39,496 in unemployment benefits.

As to the money laundering charge, Culmer engaged in several transactions over $10,000 using the fraudulently obtained funds, including by withdrawing cash, transferring money between bank accounts, and purchasing automobiles to expand a vehicle rental business. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D., Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security (DHS-OIG); and Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by DHS-OIG and DOL-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the matter on behalf of the United States.

Culmer is scheduled to appear for sentencing on December 16.  He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing its sentence.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.  The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.  For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

— END — 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Georgetown, Ky., man, George Michael Brock Jr., 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 348 months in prison, for the production of child pornography. 

In 2016, law enforcement received reports that an adult male, later identified as Brock, used a social media application, MeetMe, to lure underage victims into nude modeling. In 2018, Brock was convicted of use of an electronic communication system to procure a minor. When he was released from prison, in July 2019, Kentucky law subjected Brock to sex offender supervision and registration requirements for five years.

According to his plea agreement, on January 11, 2023, while still subject to sex offender registration requirements, Brock used Skype to begin communication with a minor victim. Brock directed the minor to capture sexually explicit images of themselves. The victim complied with Brock’s requests and Skype records also revealed similar conversations with multiple other minors. Brock shared with his friend many of the sexually explicit images that he obtained from the minor victims via the internet. 

Under federal law, Brock 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Darin Allgood, Georgetown Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Georgetown Police Department with assistance from the Kentucky Division of Probation and Parole. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 –

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Nicholasville, Ky., man, Jacob Clem, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to 228 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

According to his plea agreement, on September 11, 2024, law enforcement observed a vehicle with expired registration tags, driven by Clem, and conducted a traffic stop. Clem was placed under arrest due to an active arrest warrant. He admitted to having a firearm holster and knives on his person. Law enforcement found a fully loaded magazine and two small fentanyl pills on his person. A search of the vehicle located an additional loaded magazine and a pistol. Additionally, a backpack in the car contained two grocery bags of 953 grams of methamphetamine and two digital scales. Clem admitted to possessing the drugs and that he knowingly possessed the firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime.

Under federal law, Clem 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Kevin Grimes, Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA, KSP, and Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Lexington, Ky., woman, Xochitl Sonia Navarro, 45, was sentenced on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to 36 months in prison, for assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers in the performance of their official duties.

According to Navarro’s plea agreement, on October 8, 2024, ICE-ERO officers began an operation to arrest Jorge Iban Cuellar-Avendano, a citizen of Mexico who had illegally re-entered the United States. Cuellar-Avendano had previously evaded arrest by fleeing in a vehicle. On this occasion, officers observed the fugitive and Navarro, the driver, get into the vehicle. When officers approached the vehicle, Navarro refused to open its doors, and attempted to evade the officers by lunging, accelerating and attempting to flee. In doing so, three officers suffered cuts, abrasions, and bruising; one officer was knocked to the ground and dragged by the vehicle, causing deep lacerations on both arms. Officers ultimately had to break the window to stop the vehicle. 

Under federal law, Navarro must serve 85 percent of her prison sentence. Upon her release from prison, she will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years. Separately, Cuellar-Avendano was sentenced to 12 months in prison for illegal reentry into the United States after a prior deportation or removal, and will be subject to deportation following service of his sentence.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Sam Olson, Director, Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, (ICE-ERO) Chicago Field Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by ICE-ERO. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Walker is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Harrison County doctor, Michael Gainey, 70, was sentenced on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to 80 months in prison, after previously pleading guilty to seven counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.   

According to his plea agreement, Gainey practiced as a family medicine specialist in Harrison County. In that role, Gainey treated and prescribed controlled substances to a number of patients with whom he maintained personal relationships. Gainey knew that the prescriptions he issued to these patients were outside the scope of legitimate medical practice, in part because of the ongoing relationships he maintained with these patients and because Gainey relaxed applicable prescribing standards for these patients. Gainey issued unlawful controlled substance prescriptions for hydrocodone, oxycodone, gabapentin, and other controlled substances to at least  seven patients with whom  he had ongoing relationships; his misconduct began as early as 2015 and continued through the fall of 2023. 

Under federal law, Gainey 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.

“While the nature of the opioid epidemic in Kentucky has changed, bad prescriptions for these highly addictive drugs continue to be contributing factor,” said Acting United States Attorney Paul McCaffrey.  “Solving this crisis requires a zero-tolerance policy for physicians like Dr. Gainey who intentionally abuse their prescribing authority.”

“The vast majority of doctors take their oath to first do no harm very seriously, but every now and then we arrest one that is just a drug dealer in a white lab coat, like Dr. Gainey,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Louisville Division.  “Dr. Gainey chose to put his own needs above those of his patients and now he will have to answer for his misdeeds.”

Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey, DEA Special Agent in Charge Scott, and Director Mark Burden, Bluegrass Narcotics Taskforce, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Bluegrass Narcotics Taskforce. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Boone is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Richmond, Ky., man, Derek Hahn, 37, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to 330 months in prison, for the production of child pornography. 

According to his plea agreement, on October 2, 2024, law enforcement reviewed a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that reported an incident of child sexual abuse material being uploaded and shared with another user or group of users on the Kik platform. Through an investigation, law enforcement determined that the IP address was associated with Hahn’s home and place of employment. Hahn was taken into custody, and two phones were seized from his person and searched, where multiple images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit activity were found. Additionally, multiple videos were also found depicting a minor undressing and completely nude. In the videos, the victim does not appear to know they are being recorded, and the camera is recording from a hidden location. Hahn admitted that he produced the videos and images. 

Under federal law, Hahn 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 sentence, Hahn was also ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; Chief Derrick Napier, Frankfort Police Department; and Sheriff Mike Coyle, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the HSI, KSP, Frankfort Police Department, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 London, Ky., man, Brandon Bustle, 39, was sentenced on Monday to 13 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and for violating the conditions of his federal supervised release. 

According to his plea agreement, between December 2023 to March 23, 2024, Bustle and an associate developed access to multiple related sources from whom they regularly obtained distribution quantities of methamphetamine. Bustle and his associate would travel together to obtain methamphetamine from those suppliers, some of whom were in the Louisville area, and transport it back to the Laurel County area for further distribution. On February 28, 2024, Bustle was traveling to Laurel County to deliver a methamphetamine mixture. However, before the delivery occurred, Bustle wrecked the vehicle and removed the methamphetamine from the vehicle and tried to hide it in the woods. When law enforcement responded to the scene, they located over a kilogram of Bustle’s methamphetamine mixture that he had intended to distribute, along with a loaded firearm, scales, and $2,223 in cash. 

At the time of these events, Bustle was on supervised release in connection with a prior federal crime.  Bustle previously had been sentenced in 2013 to 96 months in prison for the same offense, i.e., conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture.

Two of Bustle’s co-conspirators were previously sentenced in the same case.  On June 16, 2025, Josh Caldwell was sentenced to a total for 135 months in prison, followed by six years of supervised release, for possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of that drug trafficking offense.  On July 10, 2025, Merinda Robinson was sentenced to 100 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiring with Bustle to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. 

Under federal law, Bustle 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 seven years.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, ATF, Louisville Field Division; John Root, Laurel County Sheriff; Winston Tye, Barbourville Police Chief; and Rusty Hedrick, Corbin Police Chief, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF, Laurel County Sheriff’s Department, Barbourville Police Department, and Corbin Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble is prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Carlisle, Ky., man, Ronald G. Miller, 43, was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 60 months in prison, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to his plea agreement, on July 2, 2024, law enforcement observed Miller, who was known to be a convicted felon, at the Blackberry Festival, openly carrying a loaded handgun on his hip. Miller admitted to knowing he was a convicted felon, and during his arrest, he yelled to his girlfriend to “go home and lock everything down.” A search warrant was obtained for Miller’s residence and revealed a rifle, pistol, and multiple magazines and boxes of ammunition.

Under federal law, Miller 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.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Office; Chief Gary Kinder, Carlisle Police Department; and Sheriff Berl Perdue, Jr., Clark County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by ATF, Carlisle Police Department, and Clark County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paco Villalobos.

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, Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky. –Two Nashville, Tenn., men, Markwez Wynn, 26, and Stephen Hampton, 26, were sentenced on Friday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 65 months and 60 months in prison, respectively, for bank robbery by intimidation and/or aiding and abetting bank robbery by intimidation.

According to their plea agreements, from May 2023 until May 2024, Wynn robbed four banks and Hampton participated in robbing three banks located in Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky. Wynn robbed one bank in Nashville alone, threatening to kill the teller if an alarm went off. In two of the robberies, while Wynn robbed the bank, Hampton acted as the getaway driver. Wynn was disguised and obtained access to the vault in each of these robberies, getting away with $81,500 and $109,500 in cash, respectively. The last of the series of robberies occurred on May 21, 2024, at a Forcht Bank in Lexington. Wynn and Hampton entered the bank in masks and demanded everyone put their hands up. They obtained access to the vault and took money both from the tellers and the vault. From this robbery, the defendants obtained $181,175 in cash.

As part of their sentencing, Wynn was required to forfeit $84,268 in cash and Hampton had to forfeit $82,037 in cash. Additionally, Wynn was ordered to pay $376,785 in restitution and Hampton was ordered to pay $372,175 in restitution.

Under federal law, Wynn and Hampton 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 three years.   

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Joseph E. Carrico, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Nashville Field Office; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Louisville, FBI Nashville, and Lexington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Chapman is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

COVINGTON, Ky. – A Cincinnati, Ohio, man, Anthony Wynn, 33, was sentenced on Monday by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, to 384 months in prison, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to testimony at trial, in August 2020, law enforcement stopped a vehicle being driven by Wynn to investigate a possible DUI. During the stop, officers located two bags of crack cocaine and a bag of marijuana on Wynn’s person. Officers also found a loaded firearm in the glove box and a digital scale in the center console. An additional loaded firearm was found in the trunk. Wynn possessed the firearms to protect himself, drugs, and drug proceeds during his drug trafficking activities. Also, Wynn was aware at the time of his arrest that he had prior felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Wynn was previously convicted of facilitation of robbery and first degree trafficking in a controlled substance in Campbell County Circuit Court in 2010; and first degree trafficking in a controlled substance, cocaine, and two counts of first degree trafficking in a controlled substance, heroin, in Kenton County Circuit Court in 2015.

Under federal law, Wynn 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 6 years.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Office; and Chief Brian Valenti, Covington Police Department, jointly announced the conviction.       

The case was referred to the ATF by the Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. The investigation was conducted by ATF and Covington Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tony Bracke and Joel King.

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, Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Georgetown, Ky., man, Robert Conley, 71, has pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to providing a criminally false claim in order to obtain COVID relief funds. 

In 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, established many programs that were funded primarily by the federal government and administered by state workforce agencies. One of the programs provided support to farmers and ranchers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). CFAP provided financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities with financial assistance for sales losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency administered the program. CFAP applicants electronically certified that the information provided was accurate and were warned that any false statement or misrepresentation to the USDA or any misapplication of loan proceeds could result in sanctions, including criminal penalties.

Conley is a buyer and seller of cattle in Georgetown and is also part owner of Paris Stockyards in Paris, Ky. According to Conley’s plea agreement, on May 26, 2020 and on September 29, 2020, he filed two CFAP applications. In additional to the two legitimate applications, Conley directed and caused four individuals to unwittingly submit false CFAP applications claiming they owned 20% of Conley’s cattle. At Conley’s direction, the four individuals received a total of $1,206,539.80 in CFAP funds, which they remitted back to Conley.   

Additionally, Conley caused the submission of three false applications under the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), claiming three of the individuals had payroll expenses associated with Conley’s cattle operation.  As a result of those false PPP applications, another $72,660 was fraudulently obtained.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Janet M. Sorensen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General; and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigations, Cincinnati Field Division, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the USDA-OIG and IRS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Smith is prosecuting the matter on behalf of the United States.

Conley is scheduled to appear for sentencing on October 9, 2025.  He faces a maximum of 5 years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing its sentence.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.  The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.  For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

— END —

ASHLAND, Ky. – A Webbville, Ky., man, Kenneth Ison, Jr., 55, was sentenced on Monday by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 120 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

According to his plea agreement, in September 2024, the Kentucky State Police, assisted by the Grayson Police Department, obtained a search warrant for Kenneth Ison’s residence in Lawrence County and a vehicle used by Ison. During the search, officers located approximately 168 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 33 grams of suspected fentanyl, and marijuana; subsequent lab testing confirmed the presence of at least 76 grams of actual methamphetamine and 26 grams of actual fentanyl.  In addition to the narcotics, officers seized 17 firearms, one of which was stolen. At the time of his arrest, Ison was on parole for a prior felony conviction of trafficking in a controlled substance from the Carter Circuit Court; as a felon, Ison was prohibited from possessing a firearm. 

Ison admitted that he possessed the narcotics with intent to distribute them, and that he possessed the firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking. 

Under federal law, Ison 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 5 years. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Chief Tony Cantrell, Grayson Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF, KSP, and Grayson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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, Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

– END –

ASHLAND, Ky. – A Flatwoods, Ky., man, Geoffrey Potts, 25, was sentenced on Monday by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 114 months in prison, for receiving child pornography. 

According to his plea agreement, in March 2024, law enforcement received information that a user was downloading child pornography, and linked the user’s IP address with Potts’ residence. Law enforcement searched Potts’ cellphone and found numerous images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct that had been downloaded via the internet. In total, over 219 images and 45 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct were located on Potts’ cellphone. 

Under federal law, Potts 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 15 years. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and W. Todd Kelley, Chief of the Ashland Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, KSP, and Ashland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 –

COVINGTON, Ky. – A Maysville, Ky., man, David M. Elliot, 35, was sentenced on Thursday to 262 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. 

According to his plea agreement, on September 1, 2024, law enforcement stopped a vehicle driven by Courtney Beckett, Elliot’s co-defendant, for several traffic violations. Officers found a methamphetamine pipe in her pocket and removed the passenger, Elliot, from the vehicle. Officers found two bags of methamphetamine in Beckett’s purse and 165.5 grams of methamphetamine in Elliot’s waistband. 

Elliot admitted that all the methamphetamine was his, that he and Beckett drove to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region to purchase methamphetamine and were on their way back to Maysville, Ky., and he had instructed Beckett to hold the methamphetamine for him. In March 2022, Elliot was convicted of trafficking controlled substances in Mason Circuit Court and was on parole at the time of this offense. 

Beckett was previously sentenced to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. 

Under federal law, Elliot 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 10 years. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Casey Kilgore, Ft. Thomas Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Ft. Thomas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel King is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

A Mexican national was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in the collection of drug proceeds in the United States and the repatriation of those proceeds or their equivalent value to Mexico as part of a money laundering conspiracy.

According to court documents, Jose Manuel Martinez Gomez, also known as Meno, 52, of Guadalajara, Mexico, served as a “money broker” in an organization that conspired with drug traffickers to launder money for them in Mexico. Martinez personally brokered contracts to launder approximately $5.5 million and used a network of co-conspirators to pick up the drug proceeds all over the United States. Martinez then directed the transfer of the funds to Mexico via cryptocurrency and kept a percentage for himself as a fee. 

As a direct result of the money laundering contracts brokered by Martinez, The Drug Enforcement Administration Lexington Field Office and its partners seized approximately 3 kilograms of fentanyl, 52.77 kilograms of cocaine, 7,078.63 kilograms of unconverted methamphetamine in the form of charcoal lumps, 170 gallons of unconverted methamphetamine in the form of coconut oil, 140 kilograms of methamphetamine and 15 gallons of liquid methamphetamine. The DEA also seized $1,352,160 in bulk U.S. currency.

The DEA Lexington Resident Office investigated the case, working closely with the Detroit Field Division and Rocky Mountain Field Division and assisted by DEA offices in Mexico, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Birmingham, Chicago, Cincinnati, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Baltimore, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Portland, Columbia, and Rapid City, with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.

Trial Attorney Elizabeth R. Rabe of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Deputy Criminal Chief Gary Todd Bradbury of the Eastern District of Kentucky prosecuted this case.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Today, a Mexican national was sentenced to 100 months in prison for his role in arranging for the collection of drug proceeds in the United States and the repatriation of the proceeds, or their equivalent value, to Mexico as part of a money laundering conspiracy.

According to court documents, Jose Manuel Martinez Gomez, a/k/a Meño, served as a “money broker” in an organization that aided the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) by collecting, laundering, and repatriating drug proceeds generated in the United States to the cartel in Mexico. Martinez personally arranged for the laundering of $5,462,289 that was proceeds of drug trafficking crimes. Martinez used a network of co-conspirators to pick up those drug proceeds all over the United States. After money was delivered in the United States, Mr. Martinez provided instructions for the transfer of those funds via cryptocurrency, including providing a cryptocurrency wallet address, or a bank account.   Martinez worked for “commissions,” or a percentage of the money laundered successfully.

As a direct result of the money laundering contracts brokered by Martinez, DEA Lexington and its domestic partners seized a staggering quantity of drugs, including approximately 3 kilograms of fentanyl, 52.77 kilograms of cocaine, 7,078.63 kilograms of unconverted methamphetamine in the form of charcoal lumps, 170 gallons of unconverted methamphetamine in the form of coconut oil, 140 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 15 gallons of liquid methamphetamine.  DEA also seized $1,352,160 in bulk U.S. currency.

“The successful prosecution of Martinez disrupted the flow of vital drug proceeds back to CJNG, and removed substantial quantities of dangerous drugs from American communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Paul McCaffrey.  “While the fight against cartel-sourced drug trafficking is far from over, today’s result is a step in the right direction, and is a testament to our law enforcement partners’ collaboration and constant commitment to justice.”

“Jose Manuel Martinez Gomez helped Mexican drug traffickers to wash their ill-gotten gains from the sale of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl in U.S. neighborhoods and communities,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“This prosecution should serve as a warning of the Department of Justice’s focus on holding to account anyone who seeks to help launder cartel’s money and underpins a system that delivers dangerous drugs that destroy our neighborhoods and communities.”

“The Drug Enforcement Administration will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt the flow of drugs across our borders and the flow of money back to Mexico by cartel operatives and bring these individuals to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division.  “I want to thank all of our law enforcement partners in this case and commend them for their dedication to public safety.”

On March 7, Martinez pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and concealment money laundering.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Lexington Resident Office investigated the case, working closely with the Detroit Field Division and Rocky Mountain Field Division, and assisted by DEA offices in Mexico, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Birmingham, Chicago, Cincinnati, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Baltimore, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Portland, Columbia, and Rapid City, as well as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation Division.

Deputy Criminal Chief Todd Bradbury of the Eastern District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Elizabeth R. Rabe of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

– END –

COVINGTON, Ky. – An Aberdeen, Ohio, man, Gary Cunningham, Jr., 37, and Frederick Overly, III, 58, of Maysville, Ky., were sentenced to 268 months and 120 months, respectively, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning for one count of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and eight counts of distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine.  Cunningham was also convicted of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute it.

According to testimony at trial, law enforcement identified Frederick Overly III, as a methamphetamine supplier, and used a confidential informant to make eight controlled purchases from Overly. Each purchase was arranged by the informant calling Overly, who in turn indicated that he would need to get the methamphetamine from his own supplier, Cunningham. Each time, Cunningham sold Overly the methamphetamine that Overly subsequently sold to the informant, totaling more approximately 80 grams.

Cunningham was previously convicted of three counts of first-degree trafficking of a controlled substance in Mason County Circuit Court in 2013, and second-degree robbery in Mason County Circuit Court in 2014. He was on probation for possession of methamphetamine when he committed the federal offenses.   

Under federal law, Cunningham and Overly must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. Upon their release from prison, Cunningham will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years, and Overly will be under supervision for five years. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; jointly announced the sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Maysville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tony Bracke and Drew Spievack prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

LONDON, Ky. – A Laurel County, Kentucky company, Facial Expressions, pleaded guilty to the receipt of misbranded drugs in interstate commerce.  Separately, its owner, Dr. Paula Gill, pleaded guilty to providing false information on an application to the DEA.

Dr. Gill owned and operated Facial Expressions, which was a business that provided treatments to customers involving injectable drugs, primarily derived from botulinum toxins to remedy or mitigate skin wrinkles. Dr. Gill administered these drugs to Facial Expressions’ customers.  The manufacturing, labeling and distribution of these prescription drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and they can only be legally acquired from an authorized and licensed distributor in the United States. Botulin toxin drugs available from unlicensed foreign suppliers are not authorized for use in the United States. 

According to the company’s plea agreement, between August 2019 and August 2023, Facial Expressions purchased botulinum toxin type A drugs that were manufactured, packaged, and labeled for sale in Korea and/or Turkey, and thus were not authorized for use inside the United States by the FDA. Multiple customers experienced side effects linked to the botulinum injections that they received at Facial Expressions during this period. In total, these customers incurred additional medical expenses of at least $24,369 to fix these side effects.

In addition to Facial Expressions’ guilty plea, Dr. Gill pleaded guilty to providing false information to the DEA.  On August 4, 2021, she knowingly lied on a DEA form to renew her DEA registration number by stating that her license to practice dentistry had never been suspended, when in fact the Kentucky Board of Dentistry did suspend her license in October 2010.

“Patients should be able to trust that the clinics they go to for care are operating by the book, which includes the purchase of prescription drugs through safe, FDA-approved channels,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey. “When medical providers breach that trust, we will hold them accountable.”

“Medical professionals who obtain prescription drugs outside the legitimate supply chain put their unsuspecting patients at significant risk,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ronald Dawkins, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who put profit over patient safety and jeopardize the public’s health.”

Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey, FDA Acting Special Agent in Charge Dawkins, and Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police (KSP), jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the FDA- Office of Criminal Investigations and KSP.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Dr. Gill is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16. She faces up to four years in prison and a maximum fine of $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 Lee County man, Curtis Phillips, 45, was sentenced on Monday, to 360 months, by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

According to his plea agreement, on March 17, 2023, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office encountered Phillips passed out in a vehicle in the driveway of a residence. A search of the vehicle revealed over a kilogram of pure methamphetamine, a quantity of fentanyl, $8,000 in cash, and a set of digital scales for drug trafficking purposes. On June 18, 2024, Phillips was again encountered passed out in a vehicle by law enforcement. At his feet, law enforcement located a loaded firearm. Phillips admitted to possessing the firearm and knowing that he had been convicted of a felony, and therefore was prohibited from possessing the weapon. 

Under federal law, Phillips 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.

Paul C. McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Sheriff Jospeh Lucas, Lee County Sheriff’s Office; and Sheriff Tara Chadwell, Owsley County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and Owsley County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paco Villalobos is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Lexington, Ky., man, Tommie Joyner, 45, has pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward Atkins to wire fraud arising out of a scheme to unlawfully obtain various COVID-19 pandemic relief benefits.

In 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, established several new unemployment compensation programs that were funded primarily by the federal government and administered by state workforce agencies. Later that same year, the President authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to expend money for lost wage assistance, as a supplement to unemployment compensation programs. The CARES Act also expanded existing federal programs, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The EIDL Program provides loans for small businesses suffering from an economic disaster.

According to his plea agreement, from March 2020 to June 2022, Joyner made material false statements in order to obtain money from various government relief and Covid-19 relief programs. Joyner fabricated information about employment history, residence, and business ventures, and applied for relief funds using that false information. On May 19, 2020, Joyner filed an unemployment benefits application with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, falsely claiming that he resided in Detroit, Michigan, when in fact he was a resident of Lexington, Kentucky. As a result of the misrepresentation, he was paid $15,269.76 in unemployment assistance.

Similarly, from March 2020 to June 2022, Joyner applied for pandemic unemployment benefits in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, and New York, all of which contained false statements and representations. His fraudulent applications to New York and Indiana were approved and he obtained $83,925.47 in unemployment benefits.  Joyner also applied for two EIDLs with the SBA, seeking $62,500. While the fraudulent EIDL applications were ultimately denied, the SBA still paid Joyner $1,000 in EIDL advances. All of Joyner’s applications contained false statements.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D., Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security (DHS-OIG); and Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by DHS-OIG and DOL-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the matter on behalf of the United States.

Joyner is scheduled to appear for sentencing on August 22, 2025.  He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. Joyner will be required to pay a minimum of $100,195.23 in restitution.  However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing its sentence.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.  The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.  For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

— END —

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lexington man, Alejandro Galvan Gomez, 51, was sentenced on Monday to 28 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to launder drug proceeds. 

According to his plea agreement, from November 2023 until September 2024, Gomez agreed with others to distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine. Gomez owned a trucking company, G and G Transportation, headquartered in Lexington, and used the trucking company and its semi-trucks to travel to the southern border of the United States at McAllen, Texas, to pick up drug loads. Gomez made these trips on a frequent basis, at least two times per month. 

Gomez would conceal the cocaine in large vehicle batteries that were hollowed out to allow for four kilograms of cocaine. To evade detection by law enforcement, the batteries contained a small battery within the modified battery, so that the battery would still produce a charge if tested. Gomez would receive at least two batteries per trip to McAllen, and sometimes as many as ten batteries. Once he obtained the drugs, he would then distribute them to others around the country, including in Dallas, Texas; Columbia, South Carolina; Dayton, Ohio; and Cincinnati, Ohio.  

Additionally, Gomez admitted to laundering drug proceeds by methods known as promotional and concealment money laundering. To do this, Gomez would make large cash deposits in both his personal and business accounts. G and G Transportation was not a cash-based entity and the source of the cash stemmed from his involvement in drug distribution offenses. Gomez would use the cash deposits to pay the transportation company’s expenses, including maintenance and fuel for the Volvo semi-truck that was used to pick up the drug loads and for his personal expenses, including mortgage payments. From September 2023 to May 31, 2024, Gomez deposited $159,350 in cash in the G and G operating account and $105,745.95 into his personal account. Gomez admitted that these funds were the proceeds of the drug trafficking offenses and that they were intended to promote drug distribution offenses. 

Under federal law, Gomez 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI);  Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department; Chief Derrick Napier, Frankfort Police Department; Chief Michael Fleming, Nicholasville Police Department; and Sheriff Kevin Grimes, Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA, HSI, FBI, Frankfort Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Nicholasville Police Department, and Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Bradbury is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

– END –

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Georgetown, Ky., man, Justin Bell, 40, was sentenced to 4 months in prison and 4 months home detention by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, for submitting criminal false claims to Kentucky Medicaid.

According to his plea agreement, Bell was a pharmacist who owned and operated Georgetown Pharmacy. The pharmacy dispensed a variety of prescription medications to retail customers, including medicated pads that manage and prevent scars from burns and other traumatic skin injuries. These scar pads were expensive: Kentucky Medicaid reimbursed pharmacies over $14,000 for a box of twelve. In March and April of 2020, Bell solicited unwitting Kentucky Medicaid patients to receive the scar pads, even though the patients did not have a medical need for them. In some instances, patients received the pads without discussing them with their providers or using the pads. Bell’s pharmacy submitted eight claims for reimbursement to Kentucky Medicaid for the scar pads and caused Medicaid to pay a total of $118,621.28 for medically unnecessary prescriptions.

Bell paid restitution to Kentucky Medicaid for the offense and was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000. Under federal law, Bell 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.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, and Russell Coleman, Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Kentucky Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Smith and Andy Smith prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
 

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lexington business owner, Matthew Buresh, 65, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to 24 months in prison, for two counts of failure to pay taxes.

Buresh was the owner and President of CR Cable Construction Inc. (CR), a company operating in Lexington that installed underground utility lines. As the owner of the company, Buresh was required to remit trust fund taxes withheld from employee paychecks, such as individual income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes, as well as the matching amounts contributed by the employer, to the IRS on quarterly basis. These taxes are generally known as “employment taxes.”

According to his plea agreement, between March 2018 and December 2022, Buresh knew that his company was required to make deposits of the employment taxes to the IRS on a periodic basis, but chose not to pay the employment taxes withheld from CR’s employees’ paychecks to the IRS. Buresh was notified of CR employment taxes due and owing, accounted for such taxes, had sufficient funds to pay them, but willfully chose not to pay a significant portion of those employment taxes from 2018 through 2022. At the same time, between 2017 and 2022, Buresh withdrew $2.9 million in cash from CR’s bank account to pay for business expenses, his wages, and his distributions.

Under federal law, Buresh 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. Buresh is also required to pay $805,787.82 in restitution.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigations, Cincinnati Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the IRS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

ASHLAND, Ky. – An Ashland man, Phillip Conley, 28, was sentenced on Monday to 180 months in prison, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

In February 2024, law enforcement officers with the Northeast Kentucky Drug Task Force (NKYDTF) began an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Conley.  On April 4, 2024, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Conley’s residence.  During the search law enforcement located 57.6 grams of fentanyl, two firearms, and ammunition.

Conley admitted that he intended to distribute the fentanyl, and that he possessed the firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime. He also admitted to knowing that he was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Conley was previously convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance first degree in Boyd Circuit Court in May 2017.

Under federal law, Conley 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 eight years. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by ATF and Northeast Kentucky Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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, Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Richmond, Ky., man, Kendall Hacker, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves to 30 months in prison, for conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos.

Animal crushing is defined under federal criminal law as “actual conduct in which one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians, is purposely crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury.”

According to his plea agreement, on November 4, 2021, through June 21, 2022, Hacker sent money through online payment applications to online group chats in which Hacker and other co-conspirators were members, for the purpose of creating, funding, and receiving animal crush videos. Co-conspirators outside the United States received this funding and used it create animal crush videos. Hacker possessed animal crush videos on his phone, including one that depicted a juvenile monkey being tortured with a jar of ants and sexually assaulted with an object that caused the juvenile monkey’s death. 

Under federal law, Hacker 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by HSI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Lexington man, Drequahn Smith, 19, was sentenced on Tuesday to 128 months in prison, by U.S. District Judge Gregory VanTatenhove, for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

On June 24, 2024, law enforcement officers with the FBI and the Lexington Police Department were conducting surveillance on an individual wanted on an arrest warrant. Drequahn Smith was observed with the wanted individual, and fled when the law enforcement officers approached. During the foot pursuit, Smith attempted to throw away a handgun he was carrying before he was apprehended.  In a subsequent search of Smith’s backpack and a residence associated with Smith, law enforcement officers recovered 413 grams of pressed fentanyl pills. Smith admitted in his plea agreement that he possessed the fentanyl with intent to distribute it, and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime. 

Under federal law, Smith 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by FBI and Lexington Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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, Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

– END –

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – A Hagerhill, Ky., man, Jason Ryan Campbell, 46, was sentenced on Thursday to 40 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves, for production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.  

According to his plea agreement, on August 27, 2022, Campbell engaged in the production of child pornography. Specifically, upon searching his phone, law enforcement located two videos taken of Campbell and a minor victim engaging in sexual conduct. Law enforcement also found additional videos and photos of child pornography on his phone. 

Under federal law, Campbell 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. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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 –

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Mexican National illegally residing in Lexington, Serafin Bayona, 35, was sentenced on Wednesday to 135 months by U.S. District Judge Gregory VanTatenhove for financially benefiting from forced labor.

According to his plea agreement, Bayona participated in a venture to financially benefit through the forced labor of others. Specifically, Bayona would loan money to the victims, all Mexican nationals then living in Mexico, to be smuggled into the United States.  He would then coordinate the smuggling of these victims and arrange transportation to Lexington, where they would be housed in one of several properties he maintained. The victims would repay Bayona, after they obtained work in the United States, with interest that was added to their debt.  Bayona also would charge the victims other fees, including fees for rent, transportation, cleaning, food, clothing, and obtaining employment and false identification documents.  Ultimately, the amounts owed by the victims resulted in an endless cycle of debt. When the victims protested paying the continued fees, Bayona used threats of force on victims and the victims’ families, including instances of brandishing a firearm, to compel the victims to continue to work in order to pay him.  During the execution of search warrants at properties Bayona maintained, over $50,000 in cash was discovered, which he admitted was generated through his participation in this forced labor venture. 

Under federal law, Bayona 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.

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, HSI, and Lexington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

– END –

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, charge, and arrest alleged child sexual abuse offenders.  The operation resulted in the arrests of 205 defendants in the nationwide crackdown.  The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

“The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

“Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”

“Child exploitation offenses inflict lasting harm on the most vulnerable members of our society, and the proliferation of child sexual abuse material across the Internet repeats and amplifies that harm.  Prosecuting child exploitation offenses has been and will always be a top priority for this Office, and we’re grateful for our law enforcement partners’ commitment to pursuing justice in these cases.” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky Paul McCaffrey.

“I’d like to commend FBI Louisville’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force on their dogged pursuit of perpetrators of child sexual abuse. While the FBI’s work to identify, investigate, and apprehend these predators never stops, our increased efforts over the last month during Operation Restore Justice resulted in removing some of our community’s most heinous criminals,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office. “FBI Louisville, in lockstep with our law enforcement partners, will continue to use every available resource to protect America’s most vulnerable populations, especially our children.”

In the Eastern District of Kentucky, nine defendants were charged with various child exploitation offenses. One of the indictments remains under seal. They include the following:

• Jason Back, 42, of Salyersville, Ky., was charged with online enticement of a minor.
• Jesus Chavez, 32, of Somerset, Ky., was charged with five counts of producing child pornography.
• Jordan A. Cobb, 33, of Salyersville, Ky., was charged with online enticement of a minor and cyberstalking of a minor.
• Austin Hawk, 25, of Pittsburg, Ky., was charged with transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity.­­
• Nathan Smith, 30, of Manchester, Ky., was charged with two counts of distribution of child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
• Michael Moon, 47, of Annville, Ky., was charged with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
• Timothy Ray Dale, 63, of Paris, Ky., was charged with one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
• Finley Wooton, 32, of Hyden, Ky., was charged with the attempted production of child pornography. 

While the charges allege that these crimes were committed, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Others arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. Also, in many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. 

This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.

The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.

Other online resources:

Electronic Press Kit

Violent Crimes Against Children

How we can help you: Parents and caregivers protecting your kids

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Lawrenceburg, Ky., man, Zachary Gage King, 24, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Gregory VanTatenhove to 151 months in prison for receiving a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  

According to his plea agreement, law enforcement received information that King was attempting to access child pornography materials, and a search warrant was obtained for King’s residence. King admitted to law enforcement that he had utilized numerous online platforms to receive and distribute child sexual abuse material and that he had received child sexual abuse material as recently as the day before the search warrant. A forensic examination of King’s electronic devices found over 7,400 images and videos that included minors engaged in sexually explicit activity.

Under federal law, King 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 40 years. 

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Mike Coyle, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by HSI, KSP, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  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.

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COVINGTON, Ky. – A Dayton, Ohio, man, Julius Cole, 39, was sentenced on Friday to 132 months in prison, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for aiding and abetting the intended distribution of 100 grams or more of a mixture containing a fentanyl analogue. 

According to Cole’s plea agreement, on January 2, 2024, law enforcement used a confidential informant to arrange a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Earnest Bryson, who agreed to sell a kilogram of fentanyl to the informant. On January 3, 2024, Cole, Bryson, and co-defendant Gerald Young traveled from Dayton, Ohio  to Fort Wright, Ky, to deliver the drugs to the informant. Soon after they arrived, law enforcement parked behind their vehicle and forcibly removed them from the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle revealed that an attempt was made to destroy the drugs by mixing them with Coca-Cola. Some of the mixture was tested, however, and found to contain fentanyl as well as fluorofentanyl, a fentanyl analogue.  Further investigation revealed that Germel Hughes, Cole’s second co-defendant, supplied the drugs to Bryson on the condition that Cole travel with Bryson to Kentucky to assist in the drug distribution. Hughes gave instructions to destroy the drugs with soda if they were stopped by law enforcement. Cole admitted that Bryson possessed the fentanyl with the intent to distribute it and that he assisted Bryson in doing the same

Young and Hughes have both pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and are scheduled to be sentenced on June 5 and July 16, respectively.

Under federal law, Cole 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.  

Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by ATF and KSP.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Winslow is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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