A Milwaukee man, Alexander Laykovich, 27, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for unlawfully possessing firearms after being adjudicated as a mental defective. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell on Friday in Lexington, Kentucky.
Court documents state that Laykovich was stopped by a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Deputy on January 25, 2024, while driving through Stanford, Kentucky. He had traveled from Wisconsin and was en route to visit Fort Knox. At the time of the stop, Laykovich was found wearing body armor and a recording device. Authorities also discovered knives, a gas canister, and eight firearms—six of which were semiautomatic weapons capable of accepting large capacity magazines—as well as ammunition in his possession.
Further investigation led law enforcement to search Laykovich’s storage unit and delivery boxes in Wisconsin. There they found an additional 15 firearms along with parts for improvised explosive devices and grenades.
Laykovich had been entered into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in January 2023 after being adjudicated as a mental defective, resulting in a lifetime ban on purchasing firearms. Despite this prohibition—which he acknowledged—he continued to possess firearms either purchased before the ban or acquired by his girlfriend afterward.
Federal law requires Laykovich to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for release. After completing his prison term, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
“Illegal firearm possession poses a serious threat to the safety of our communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Paul McCaffrey. “This case reflects the strong collaboration between our office and our federal, state, and local partners, and we are grateful for their commitment to removing illegal firearms from our streets and holding offenders accountable under the law.”
“As a result of law enforcement’s swift actions, a potential act of violence against one of our military installations was thwarted and a large supply of illegally purchased firearms was removed from the hands of a dangerous individual. With this sentence, the defendant has been held accountable for his blatant disregard of the law,” said Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville Field Office. “As always, FBI Louisville and our partners across the Commonwealth are committed to protecting the communities we serve and encourage the public to remain vigilant and immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”
The sentencing announcement came jointly from Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey; FBI Special Agent in Charge Olson; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge at ATF Louisville Field Division; Col. Phillip J. Burnett Jr., Commissioner of Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Shawn Hines of Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation involved cooperation among several agencies: FBI, ATF, Kentucky State Police (KSP), and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Dieruf prosecuted the case.
