Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Greeneville Man Sentenced to 205 Months on Methamphetamine and Firearm Charges
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On June 12, 2020, David Lynn Kaywood, Jr., 42, currently of Greeneville, was sentenced by the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.
The criminal indictment resulted from an investigation of the Second Judicial Drug Task Force (DTF), Kingsport Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
In 2017, DTF made a controlled purchase of 16.18 grams of methamphetamine from Kaywood and a co-defendant. Kaywood arrived at the controlled buy in possession of a handgun. In 2018, the Kingsport Police Department arrested two of Kaywood’s co-defendants who were in possession of 39.94 grams of methamphetamine, and a firearm. Kaywood entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Kaywood received 205 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Kaywood sentences will run consecutive to seven cases currently pending in Sullivan County’s Second Judicial District.
Todd Martin, Assistant U.S. Attorney, represented the United States in court.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted DTF and Kingsport police in the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. It provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crime face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community faces. This case was also brought as part of the Safe Streets Violent Crimes Initiative, a program which combines the efforts of federal, state, and local agencies to stop violent felons from endangering our communities.
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