LEXINGTON, KY— A Lexington man, Robert W. Bledsoe was sentenced to 322 months in federal prison on Friday, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves.
Bledsoe, 57, was sentenced after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to Bledsoe’s plea agreement, in September 2020, law enforcement received information that he was trafficking narcotics from his residence. After an investigation, law enforcement went to Bledsoe’s residence to serve a search warrant and found him in possession of a pistol, 76 grams of heroin, and 147 grams of methamphetamine. Subsequently, officers also located another firearm, ammunition, drug trafficking paraphernalia, and a debt ledger. Bledsoe further admitted that he was a convicted felon and was prohibited from owning a firearm.
Bledsoe was previously convicted of trafficking a controlled substance first degree, in the Fayette Circuit Court and of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Bledsoe pleaded guilty to the current charges in August 2021.
Under federal law, Bledsoe must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for eight years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting 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 announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF and Lexington Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker.
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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