John P. Darnell, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Kentucky 2020

A 65-year-old man from Florence, Kentucky, has been sentenced to 248 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

John P. Darnell, 65, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Bunning on Friday for conspiring with others to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine between March 1, 2019, and December 11, 2019.

According to his guilty plea agreement, Darnell conspired with others to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine. Specifically, he admitted that law enforcement executed a search warrant on a residence and located three firearms and four baggies of methamphetamine that belonged to him.

Darnell further admitted that he was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. His co-defendants, Buddy J. Pauly and Lori A Wilson, were previously sentenced. Pauly received 72 months in prison and three years of supervised release, while Wilson received 30 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

Under federal law, Darnell and his co-defendants must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. Darnell will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years, following his release.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with the United States represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke. This case is part of the Department’s ‘Project Safe Neighborhoods’ Program, a nationwide crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department’s targeted initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence.

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