Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Whitley County Man Sentenced to 162 Months for Armed Methamphetamine Trafficking
LONDON, Ky. — A Whitley County man, Michael Andrew Nakonechny, 41, was sentenced to 162 months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
According to his plea agreement, on August 5, 2022, law enforcement in Whitley County located a backpack that Nakonechny possessed and contained over 50 grams of methamphetamine. Nakonechny had received the drugs from his supplier and intended to distribute them. Law enforcement also found a loaded firearm inside the backpack. Nakonechny possessed the firearm to further his drug trafficking activity.
Nakonechny pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2023.
Under federal law, Nakonechny must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence; and upon his release, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Rusty Hedrick, Chief of the Corbin Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by ATF, the KSP, and the Corbin Police Department.
This case was 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 Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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