Northern KY. Fireworks Dealer Awaits Sentence For Explosives Crime

COVINGTON, KY - Sam Droganes, 48, of Ft. Mitchell, KY., awaits sentencing for being a felon in possession of explosives, a violation of federal law.

Droganes, who will be sentenced in March 2014, pleaded guilty on November 27, 2013 and admitted selling 1.3G (display) fireworks to a confidential informant who was working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The sale occurred on May 28, 2013, at Droganes’s store, which is located in Covington, KY., Droganes is a convicted felon, having previously been convicted in federal court in 2010 of an offense involving the same type of explosives. Under federal law, convicted felons are prohibited from possessing firearms and explosives.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Stuart L. Lowrey, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, jointly made the announcement.

The investigation was conducted by ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine K. Leonhard represents the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this case.

Droganes is currently scheduled to appear for sentencing, before U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar, in Covington, on March 20, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. Droganes faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal statutes governing the imposition of sentences.