For Immediate Release

David William Donaway

Monica Wheatley, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, announced today that a federal Grand Jury in Louisville returned an Indictment charging DAVID WILLIAM DONAWAY, of Louisville, Kentucky, with federal firearms violations.

The Indictment charges that on or about January 23, 2001, Donaway sold 14 firearms to a person he knew to be a convicted felon. Donaway is a convicted felon and has also been convicted of a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence, and is prohibited under federal law from owning or possessing firearms. Donaway has been dealing firearms without a license for approximately 15 years.

If convicted, the maximum potential statutory penalties are 35 years imprisonment, a $1,000,000.00 fine, and supervised release for a period of 3 years.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney A.C. McKay Chauvin, and it was investigated by the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

This is a Project Backfire prosecution. Project Backfire is a partnership of the Jefferson County, Commonwealth's, and United States Attorney to provide consistently aggressive prosecution of firearm offenses in Jefferson County.

Donaway is scheduled to appear for arraignment before the United States Magistrate Judge on April 22, 2003, at 9:15 a.m., in
Louisville, Kentucky.

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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.