FRANKFORT, Ky. – Isaiah Wimberly, 30, of Lexington, Kentucky, is headed to federal prison for over twelve years after being sentenced Wednesday to 151 months for a drug and weapons double-whammy. U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove handed down the sentence after Wimberly admitted to trafficking fentanyl and illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
The bust started in September 2021, when law enforcement moved to execute an arrest warrant. Wimberly was pulled over, and a search of his vehicle turned up two loaded handguns. A subsequent raid of his residence revealed 90 grams of fentanyl, drug scales, and another unloaded firearm. The feds weren’t done. In April 2022, they received intel that Wimberly was still slinging narcotics from a local hotel. Another arrest followed, netting an additional 191 grams of the deadly opioid.
Wimberly confessed to possessing both stashes of fentanyl with the clear intent to distribute. He also acknowledged he knew he was legally barred from owning any firearms due to previous felony convictions. This wasn’t his first rodeo. Back in June 2019, Wimberly was convicted in Fayette Circuit Court of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and first-degree possession of a controlled substance.
Federal sentencing guidelines require Wimberly to serve at least 85% of his 151-month sentence. After release, he’ll be under the watchful eye of the U.S. Probation Office for four years – assuming he doesn’t find a way to re-offend. The case was a joint effort by the ATF, FBI, and the Lexington Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky, along with ATF Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen, and Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers, jointly announced the sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cindy Rieker prosecuted the case.
The prosecution falls under the umbrella of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” (PSN) program, a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing violent crime. Shier coordinates PSN efforts in the Eastern District of Kentucky, working with a network of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. This case serves as a grim reminder of the ongoing opioid crisis and the federal commitment to bringing down those who profit from it.
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- Donte Booker, Cocaine Trafficking and Robbery, Cleveland OH, 2023 · Ohio
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Press Release
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