COVINGTON, KY – A Kenton County man, Frank Long, 53, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, before U.S. District Judge David Bunning, to illegal possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to his plea agreement, on November 1, 2024, law enforcement responded to a call for service, after someone identified a man urinating in public. Upon arriving at the scene, officers identified Long and his vehicle and approached him, detecting a strong odor of alcohol and finding a handgun in between the center console and the front passenger seat. Long was arrested for alcohol intoxication and a further search of his vehicle found five loaded firearms.
An investigation then revealed that Long has an active Domestic Violence Order, from Scott County, Kentucky, that was issued on April 20, 2022 and effective for three years.
“The defendant was in possession of several loaded firearms, despite the fact he was subject to a domestic violence protective order, a dangerous and potentially deadly combination,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “The critical teamwork of several law enforcement partners will now hold him accountable for his violation of federal law, and will inspire our combined efforts to make our communities safer.”
“Outcomes like this clearly show the continued importance of collaboration in protecting Kentucky families,” said Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General. “I’m proud of our colleagues from the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) who worked with federal and local law enforcement to apprehend this dangerous suspect before he could further harm our Commonwealth.”
United States Attorney Shier; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Attorney General Coleman; and Chief Kyle Rader, Erlanger Police Department, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, and Erlanger Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Leonhard is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Long is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25, 2025. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
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