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Press Release

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Daviess County Felon for Firearms Offenses

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Kentucky

Bowling Green, KY – A federal grand jury in Bowling Green returned an indictment on February 14, 2024, charging a Daviess County felon with false statements made in acquisition of a firearm, receipt of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

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

According to the indictment, on January 3, 2024, Ronald Joseph Philpot, 53, made false written statements intended to deceive a licensed firearms dealer, on a Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives form 4473, Firearms Transaction Record. Specifically, Philpot stated he was not under indictment for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and was not a convicted felon, when in fact as he knew he was a convicted felon currently under indictment for another felony offense.

On January 9, 2024, Philpot then received, and was in possession of, a Taurus 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol. Philpot was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

On May 1, 2018, in Ohio Circuit Court, Philpot was convicted of possession of a controlled substance, first offense, (methamphetamine).

On April 28, 2015, in Ohio Circuit Court, Philpot was convicted of flagrant nonsupport.

On April 14, 2008, in Ohio Circuit Court, Philpot was convicted flagrant nonsupport.

On May 16, 1990, in Ohio Circuit Court, Philpot was convicted of burglary in the third degree.

Philpot was previously arrested on a criminal complaint and will make his initial court appearance on the indictment before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky later. He remains in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, Philpot faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system.  

The case is being investigated by the ATF Bowling Green Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Nicholas Rabold, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, is prosecuting the case.

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.

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

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Updated February 16, 2024