A Nottoway County resident was sentenced on Aug. 4 to 15 years and eight months in prison for distribution of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, members of the Amelia/Powhatan/Nottoway/Blackstone Drug & Gang Task Force conducted two controlled purchases of cocaine from Lionel Leo Hardy, 39, at his residence in Blackstone in January 2025. On each occasion, Hardy weighed, packaged, and distributed cocaine.
On Jan. 28, 2025, task force officers searched Hardy’s residence where they encountered Hardy, his girlfriend, and their two small children. Investigators recovered a handgun, a shotgun, loaded magazines, ammunition, $13,723 in cash, a money-counting machine, and individually wrapped plastic baggies of cocaine inside an infant formula can. From vehicles parked on the property, investigators recovered two additional handguns as well as bags containing cocaine and methamphetamine.
As a previously convicted felon, Hardy cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition. The sentencing announcement was made by Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, following sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Blanchard prosecuted the case, which is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and violent crime.