Winchester Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Charge

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Brandon Darrell Martin, age 28, of Winchester  Ky., pleaded guilty today to Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. 

In the course of his guilty plea, Martin admitted that, having previously been convicted of a drug trafficking felony and two theft felonies, he knowingly pawned at least five firearms.  These firearms included a semi-automatic pistol, two rifles and two shotguns.  All these firearms had actually been stolen in residential burglaries in Clark County.  Martin pawned them at pawn shops in Lexington.  Martin was indicted in January 2018.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Stuart Lowrey, Special Agent in Charge ATF;  James Fugate Chief of the Versailles Police Department; and  Berl Perdue, Jr. Clark County Sheriff,  jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF, Versailles Police Department, and Clark County Sheriff’s Office.  The United States was represented in the case by Assistant United States Attorney Roger W. West.

Martin is currently scheduled to appear for sentencing before Senior United States District Judge Joseph M. Hood, in Lexington, on June 25, 2018, at 10:30 a.m.  Martin faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

This case were 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.