Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky returned an indictment today charging a local man with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to court documents, on July 10, 2022, Herbert Lee, 30, was in possession of a handgun on July 10, 2022. Lee has previously been convicted of the following felonies that prohibit him from possessing a firearm: receiving stolen property over $500 but less than $10,000 in 2013; receiving stolen property over $500 but less than $10,000 in 2014; and receiving stolen property over $500 but less than $10,000 in 2019.
Lee is charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He remains in state custody and will be scheduled to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and ATF Louisville Division Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Louisville Metro Police Department are investigating the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Emily Lantz is prosecuting the case. SAUSA Lantz is an Assistant Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney sworn in as a SAUSA to prosecute firearms cases in federal court. She works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to combat violent crime. Funding for SAUSA Lantz’s position comes from a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs, to the office of Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhood, 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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