Federal Grand Jury in Louisville Indicts One Former and Two Current Kentucky State Police Troopers for Federal Civil Rights Violations

Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an indictment on March 4, 2025, charging one former and two current Kentucky State Police Troopers with violating individuals’ civil rights while acting as troopers with the Kentucky State Police.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.

According to the indictment, former Kentucky State Police Trooper Thomas Czartorski, 34, was charged with two counts of using unreasonable force in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 242. Kentucky State Police Trooper Jarrod Lewis, 29, was charged with one count of using unreasonable force. Kentucky State Police Trooper James Cameron Wright, 30, was charged with two counts of using unreasonable force and one count of perjury related to false declarations made under oath in connection with a federal civil case involving allegations of civil rights violations.   

Czartorski, Lewis, and Wright will make initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on April 3, 2025. If convicted, Thomas Czartorski faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. If convicted, Jarrod Lewis faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. If convicted, James Cameron Wright faces a maximum sentence of 25 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.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Louisville Public Corruption Civil Rights Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tieke and Stephanie Zimdahl for the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorneys Anita Channapati and Katherine DeVar of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

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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