Lexington Man Pleads Guilty to a Firearms Charge

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Louis L. Martin, of Lexington, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In his plea agreement, Martin admitted that, on June 12, 2017, he possessed a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol.  Lexington Police officers found Martin in possession of the firearm after responding to an assault complaint.  Martin also admitted that he had previously been convicted the felony offenses of robbery and murder, and that he was not lawfully able to possess a firearm.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Stuart J. Lowery, Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Lawrence Weathers, Chief of the Lexington Police Department, jointly made the announcement.

The ATF and Lexington Police Department conducted the investigation. 

Martin is currently scheduled to appear for sentencing before United States District Judge Danny C. Reeves, in Lexington, on June 8, 2018.  Martin faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.  However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of sentences.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.