Federal Grand Jury Charges Three Men with Firearms Offenses

Paducah, KY – A federal grand jury returned three indictments in May of this year separately charging three men with firearms offenses. According to the indictments:

Shaun Powers, 43, of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, was charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, illegal possession of a machine gun, and possession of an unregistered firearm, that is, a weapon made from a shotgun having a barrel length of less than 18 inches;     

Cleve R. Nedd, Jr., 30, of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm; and

Anthony Jones, 22, of Indianapolis, Indiana, formerly of Christian County, Kentucky, was charged with engaging in the business of dealing firearms, 5 counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, transferring a firearm to an out of state resident, and illegal possession of a machine gun. 

Powers made his initial court appearance on June 28, 2022. Jones made his initial court appearance on June 30, 2022. Both Powers and Jones remain in federal custody pending trial. Nedd is currently scheduled to make his initial court appearance on July 28, 2022. If convicted at trial, the defendants each face up to 10 years in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and ATF Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Division made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Kentucky State Police, Hopkinsville Police Department, and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the cases.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Seth Hancock and Leigh Ann Dycus.

These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime

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

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