Three Louisville residents face federal charges for allegedly laundering money from drug transactions | Crime reports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Three Louisville residents face federal charges in connection with their alleged attempt to launder money from a drug operation through real estate deals and other large transactions.

The charges include conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, obstruction of government proceedings and falsifying documents related to a federal investigation, according to a press release.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Karen Wingerd, special agent in charge of the Cincinnati Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, announced the indictment on Tuesday.

The indictment alleges that Joseph E. Lanham, 41, Laura Lanham, 64, and Richard “Ricky” Elble II, 43, conspired to launder the proceeds of Joseph E. Lanham’s drug trafficking activities, primarily through real estate transactions and other large purchases made with drug money.

The alleged illegal activity occurred between April 2016 and May 2023.

Joseph E. Lanham also faces four counts of money laundering for conducting transactions worth more than $10,000 in proceeds of crime, one count of obstructing a governmental proceeding and one count of falsifying documents related to a federal investigation.

Laura Lanham faces an additional money laundering charge for conducting transactions worth more than $10,000 in criminal proceeds. She and Joseph Lanham appeared in court on June 6. Elble first appeared on June 7.

The indictment comes nearly two years after Jeffersontown police arrested Joseph E. Lanham and his son, Joseph M. Lanham, following a raid on their home on Pine Lake Drive. It’s not far from the AMC Stonybrook 20 cinema on the corner of South Hurstbourne Parkway and Stony Brook Drive.

In a previous WDRB report, Jeffersontown Detective Mike Lauder said investigators had been working on the case for more than a year before entering the home.

“We’re talking about thousands of pounds of marijuana that have flowed into Louisville and the surrounding area over a period of time. A lot of marijuana came out on the streets and it all came through him (Joseph E. Lanham),” Lauder said. “A lot of money, drug proceeds he’s made over the years.”

Jeffersontown Police Department published many photos from the seized evidence:

During a search of a home in Jeffersontown and several other locations, police seized hundreds of thousands of dollars, 20 pounds of marijuana, several guns, ledgers and a money counter. Court documents at the time showed that Joseph E. Lanham purchased several homes with proceeds from selling marijuana.

If convicted, Joseph E. Lanham faces a maximum sentence of 85 years in prison, Laura Lanham faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and Elble faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no possibility of parole in the federal system.

The case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation with assistance from the Jeffersontown Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Kentucky State Police.

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