Louisville men indicted on gun, drug charges as part of DOJ's violence reduction program

Update: Seiko Ross was sentenced Feb. 1, 2023, to 14 years and seven months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Robert Ross was sentenced the same day to 11 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Cory Ross was sentenced Jan. 26, 2023, to nine years in prison and five years of supervised release. Andre Ross was sentenced Nov. 21, 2022, to four years and three months in prison and three years of supervised release.

The original story from Aug. 19, 2021, is below.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A grand jury has indicted four Louisville men on firearm and drug charges after police and federal agents conducted search warrants at several apartments in Newburg, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

Detectives with the Louisville Metro Police Department’s Major Case Investigation Unit and special agents from the FBI Safe Streets Task Force executed the search warrants Aug. 12 at three apartments on Norene Lane, Crafty Drive and Russett Boulevard, according to a criminal complaint.

Officers recovered ammunition, 17 firearms — including assault rifles, handguns and shotguns — and about 1,200 grams of various suspected illegal drugs, the Department of Justice said Wednesday in a news release.

The officers arrested Andre Ross, 45, Cory Ross, 29, Robert Ross, 27, and Seiko Ross, 37, following the searches and charged each man with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

The four men were also each charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to a federal complaint.

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In addition, court records show Andre, Robert and Seiko Ross were individually charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The men had prior felony convictions for drug and firearm-related offenses in Jefferson County and in Mississippi, according to the indictment.

An FBI Louisville spokesman said the four men are related, but the spokesman did not know the specific familial relationships.

If convicted, the defendants face a minimum of five years in prison, a maximum sentence of life, a maximum $1,000,000 fine, and not more than five years of supervised release.

An indictment is an allegation, and two of the defendants had private attorneys listed in online court records while the others were appointed a public defender or awaiting the appointment of an attorney.

Nick Mudd, the attorney for Robert Ross, told The Courier Journal in an email that his client "maintains his innocence and looks forward to defending these allegations in court."

Andre, Robert and Cory Ross are in federal custody while awaiting additional court hearings this month, and Seiko Ross is currently booked in Louisville Metro Corrections, the DOJ news release said.

The FBI Safe Streets Task Force includes investigators from LMPD, Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Louisville.

Special agents from the FBI's offices in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Indianapolis also assisted in the Louisville investigation, according to the release.

"The charges set forth in the indictment are the result of the ongoing work of LMPD and the strong working relationships it maintains with our federal law enforcement agencies,” acting U.S. Attorney Michael Bennett said in the release. "This type of collaboration is crucial as we continue to focus our efforts on the most significant drivers of violence in Louisville."

Edward Gray, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Louisville Field Office, said the arrests "should send a loud and clear message to violent criminals that the FBI Safe Streets Task Force will deploy its collective strength to ensure the safety and security of our neighborhoods."

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"This is just the beginning," Gray said.

LMPD Chief Erika Shields said the "culmination of this joint, targeted investigation has resulted in some of the most violent offenders being taken off the city’s streets."

"LMPD is grateful to have such strong federal partnerships and looks forward to further dismantling organized criminal activity," Shields added.

The case involving the four Louisville men is part of the DOJ's Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that the department says is meant "to reduce violent crime in the places we call home, not to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves."

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: LMPD, FBI task force arrest 4 Louisville men on firearm, drug charges