DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Kentucky

For Immediate Release

Monday, September 28, 2020
Robert M. Duncan, Jr.
, United States Attorney
Contact: Gabrielle Dudgeon

Lexington Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon

LEXINGTON, KY- A Lexington man, David Lynn Carlin, 41, was sentenced in federal court on Monday to 120 months in prison, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.           

According to his plea agreement, on August 7, 2019, law enforcement and EMTs responded to a report of an unconscious person, later identified as Carlin. Officers and emergency personnel were able to revive Carlin, and during that response observed multiple firearms. Later that day, a search warrant was obtained and officers returned to the residence where Carlin was uncooperative and barricaded himself in the residence. Upon Carlin’s arrest, officers found six firearms in the residence and two additional firearms in a vehicle. Carlin admitted that he was a convicted felon and was not permitted to own a firearm.  

Carlin was previously convicted of Trafficking a Controlled Substance First Degree in Fayette Circuit Court in March 2013. He was also previously convicted of Assault Second Degree by Fayette Circuit Court in February 1999.           

Carlin pleaded guilty in January 2020.

Under federal law, Carlin must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly made the announcement. 

The investigation was directed by ATF and the Lexington Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Robert Duncan Jr., coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature 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; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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Louisville Field Division