Cincinnati Man Sentenced to 7 Years and 2 Months in Federal Prison for Assaulting and Brandishing a Firearm at Federal Task Force Officers

Louisville, KY – John F. Johnson, also known as Grand Master Jay, was sentenced to 7 years and 2 months in prison for assaulting and brandishing a firearm at federal task force officers.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Chief Erika Shields of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.

After a week-long trial in May of this year, a federal jury sitting in Louisville, Kentucky, convicted Johnson, 59, of Cincinnati, OH, of two counts of assaulting a federal task force officer and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Johnson, on the evening of September 4, 2020, forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with a federally deputized task force officer who was performing official duties, when Johnson aimed a rifle at him. Johnson brandished an AR-15 platform rifle and tactical flashlight at two federally deputized Task Force Officers. Both are detectives with the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Johnson was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release upon completion of his term of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Judd and Joe Ansari prosecuted the case with the assistance of paralegal Adela Alic.

The FBI and the Louisville Metro Police Department investigated the case.

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