Wisconsin Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearm Possession

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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