An Aberdeen, Ohio man has been found guilty of several drug trafficking offenses by a federal jury in Covington, Kentucky. Gary Cunningham Jr., aged 37, was convicted after a four-day trial on charges including conspiracy to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and eight counts of distributing five grams or more of methamphetamine.
The jury reached its verdict after slightly more than an hour of deliberation. During the trial, evidence showed that law enforcement had identified Frederick Overly III as a methamphetamine supplier. A confidential informant facilitated eight controlled purchases from Overly. These transactions were set up through calls made by the informant to Overly, who would then obtain the drugs from Cunningham. In total, these transactions involved more than 50 grams of methamphetamine sold by Cunningham to Overly.
Cunningham's criminal history includes previous convictions for first-degree trafficking of a controlled substance in Mason County Circuit Court in 2013 and second-degree robbery in Mason County Circuit Court in 2014.
The indictment against Cunningham and Overly was filed in July 2023. While Overly entered a guilty plea to his charges in August 2024, Cunningham opted for trial.
The conviction was announced jointly by Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge at the FBI's Louisville Field Office. The investigation was led by the FBI with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tony Bracke and Drew Spievack representing the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Sentencing for Cunningham is scheduled for May 29, 2025. He faces a minimum sentence of 15 years up to life imprisonment; however, the final sentence will be determined based on federal sentencing guidelines and statutes.