A Lexington man, Sam Connor, Jr., aged 30, received a 180-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove for drug and firearm-related offenses. The charges included possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and illegal firearm possession by a convicted felon.
The sentencing followed an incident on April 27, 2023, when law enforcement identified Connor as a potential supplier of fentanyl in Fayette County. Officers discovered that he had arranged the sale of 500 pills containing fentanyl. Upon contacting him, they found a stolen firearm and drugs on his person. Further searches revealed pressed fentanyl pills and digital scales in his vehicle.
Connor admitted to possessing the firearm despite being aware of his previous felony conviction for second-degree robbery in Fayette Circuit Court in 2015, which legally prohibited him from owning firearms.
Federal law mandates that Connor serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before release. Post-release, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for eight years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; AJ Gibes, Acting Special Agent in Charge at ATF's Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers from the Lexington Police Department announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the ATF and Lexington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), aimed at reducing violent crime through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
