Oldham County Man Sentenced To 132 Months In Prison For Distributing Narcotics On The Dark Web, Money Laundering

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An Oldham County man was sentenced Wednesday in United States District Court by United States District Judge Benjamin J. Beaton to 132 months (11 years) in prison for charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of firearms by a prohibited person, and conspiracy to launder drug proceeds, announced Acting United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett.

John Frank Naber III, 21, was first charged by Complaint and was then indicted in April 2019.  He pleaded guilty to the charges on October 7, 2020.  Naber was sentenced Wednesday, January 20, 2021, in Louisville and remains in federal custody.

As part of a multi-agency narcotics and money laundering investigation targeting Naber, federal authorities executed multiple search warrants in February 2019.  Investigators found and seized narcotics and pill pressing equipment which Naber used to manufacture homemade counterfeit Adderall on his family’s property in Oldham County.  Naber made his counterfeit pills using methamphetamine and then sold them in bulk to his customers as a vendor on the Dark Web.  Authorities also seized drug proceeds, including over $325,000.00 in cash and Bitcoin valued at over $200,000.00.

At the time of his arrest, Naber was prohibited from possessing firearms because he previously pleaded guilty to a felony offense in state court.  Namely, on or about September 18, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court Case number 18-CR-000743-003, Naber pleaded guilty to Trafficking in Marijuana.  Investigators seized five firearms that Naber unlawfully possessed: a Desert Eagle semi-automatic handgun; a Beretta pistol; a Kimber Micro 9 pistol; an American Tactical 1911 pistol; and a CZ 805 BREN assault rifle.

“This case serves as an example of the strong working relationships that exist among our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Western District of Kentucky” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett “I commend each of the agencies involved for their work during the investigation and prosecution of this defendant.”   

“One of the top priorities of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is to stop the distribution of illegal drugs in the communities that we are sworn to protect,” said HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Jerry C. Templet, Jr. “The extraordinary efforts by our HSI special agents assigned to this case, working with numerous federal, state and local law enforcement partners, resulted in this lengthy prison sentence and sends a clear message that anyone engaging in this type of illicit behavior will be arrested and prosecuted.”

“This successful partnership between the US Postal Inspection Service, HSI, IRS-CI, CBP, and Kentucky State Police should serve as a warning to anyone dealing in these dangerous and illegal substances.  The Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to protecting the American public and by working with our partners, we are unwavering in our mission to identify and disrupt their illegal activity” said Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison, Pittsburgh Division.

“The laundering of drug money allows the traffickers to continue to finance their operations,” said Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “IRS CI is committed to working with our law enforcements partners to stop the flow of illegal proceeds.”

Pending federal charges remain active against Naber’s mother and codefendant, Cara Leann Naber, for conspiracy to launder drug proceeds from her son’s drug trafficking operation and for structuring financial transactions to evade federal cash transaction reporting requirements.  Cara Naber has plead not guilty to all charges.  

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Corinne E. Keel and Robert Bonar.  The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in collaboration with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Kentucky State Police (KSP).

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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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