CINCINNATI, Ohio — A Paintsville man who pleaded guilty to producing child pornography for secretly recording a teenage girl while she showered and changed is now appealing the sentence he received.

Henry Jonathan Ritscher, 44, pleaded guilty in federal court to producing child porn back in January. Last month, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

On Thursday, that appeal was filed in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.Under the terms of his plea agreement, Ritscher is barred from appealing his guilty plea or conviction, and he can only appeal his sentence.

During his sentencing, Ritscher had objected to elements of his pre-sentencing report, including enhancements for abusing a position of trust, obstruction and engaging in a pattern of criminal sexual activity. Any of those objections could have reduced his sentence if granted, but all were denied.

Ritscher is currently being held in the Grayson County Detention Center, in Leitchfield.

The post Paintsville man appeals sentence in child porn case appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

ASHLAND, Ky. — The head of Addiction Recovery Care is now facing federal charges for allegedly defrauding two investors by selling the same tax credits twice.

Timmy G. Robinson Jr., 50, of Louisa, was indicted Thursday in Ashland federal court on one count of wire fraud and two counts of monetary transaction derived from unlawful activity, commonly referred to as money laundering.

According to the indictment, Robinson, a Louisa attorney and chief executive officer of ARC, allegedly fraudulently sold the same Employee Retention Credit assets to multiple buyers while concealing previous transactions.

Federal prosecutors say ARC sought more than $6.9 million in Employee Retention Credits from the Internal Revenue Service based on employee wages paid during the COVID-19 pandemic. The credits included a claim for approximately $3.3 million tied to the first quarter of 2021 and another for approximately $3.6 million tied to the second quarter of 2021.

The indictment alleges Robinson first sold the rights to the first tax credit to one buyer for approximately $2.7 million in July 2025. Prosecutors say he later transferred rights to the second tax credit to the same buyer as part of an amended agreement.

Despite those transactions, Robinson allegedly represented to a second buyer that both tax credits remained available for purchase. Prosecutors say he concealed the earlier sales and entered into additional agreements in November 2025 that generated nearly $4.74 million in payments to ARC.

According to the indictment, Robinson directed ARC not to transfer the tax credit proceeds to either buyer after the IRS issued the credits. Instead, prosecutors allege the funds were used to pay operational expenses and debt obligations.

Court filings have identified the buyers as Angelica Capital Trust and Clear Cove Opportunities Fund. Those companies have sued ARC in an attempt to recover their money.

Thursday evenimng, ARC released a statement addressing the indictment on its Facebook page.

“Addiction Recovery Care is aware of the federal indictment involving Chief Executive Officer Tim Robinson,” the post said. “Effective immediately, Tim Robinson is stepping down as CEO. Cassandra Webb will be stepping in as Interim Chief Executive Officer while remaining in her position as President and Chief Operating Officer of Addiction Recovery Care.

“This is an active legal matter and ARC will not be making any further statements regarding the case at this time. ARC continues to operate normally. All facilities, programs and services remain open and fully operational. Our leadership team, employees and clinical staff remain committed to delivering high-quality care and support to the individuals and families we serve.

“Our commitment to our clients, employees and communities reamins unchanged and we will continue carrying out our mission of helping individuals find recovery, healing and hope.”

Prosecutors have asked the judge to issue a summons for Robinson to appear in court.

If convicted, Robinson faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge and up to 10 years on each money laundering charge. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of proceeds connected to the alleged offenses.

An indictment is an allegation, and Robinson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

A copy of the indictment follows:

The post ARC founder & CEO indicted on federal charges appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

LONDON, Ky. — Two Eastern Kentucky men have been indicted in federal court, after they were allegedly found with firearms, despite previous felony convictions.

Stanley Duty, 54, of Phelps, and Steven Lumpkins, 45, of Oil Springs, were each indicted on single counts of felon in possession of a firearm in separate, unrelated cases.

According to their indictments, Duty was found with four handguns and a rifle May 20, 2025, in Pike County, while Lumpkins was found with a handgun and a rifle May 29, 2025, in Floyd County.

If convicted, each man will face a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison. The indictments also seek forfeiture of all seized weapons.

The post Pike, Johnson men indicted on federal weapons charge appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Magoffin County man is heading back to prison, after he pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender.

Phillip Harmon, 42, of Salyersville, pleaded guilty to the charge back in January.

Court records in Scioto County, Ohio, indicate he pleaded guilty to rape in 2008 and served a 10-year sentence. In his plea agreement, he admits to moving from Ohio to Magoffin County in 2021, but never updating his sex offender registration.

At his sentencing hearing on Thursday, he was ordered to serve an additional 18 months in prison. Once he is released, he will remain under supervision for 10 years.

The post Ohio sex offender ordered back to prison for not telling authorities he had moved to Magoffin County appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Floyd County woman has received a minimum sentence for a federal conspiracy charge after she was found with nearly half a pound of meth.

Stephanie Hall, 33, of Maytown, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of meth.

That charge carries a potential sentence of between five and 40 years in prison. In Lexington federal court on Thursday, she was sentenced to five years.

Hall was arrested May 3, 2024, following a traffic stop at McDowell, during which a state trooper found 215 grams of meth in a bag at her feet. Both Hall and her passenger, Briana Hope Hunter, 31, of McDowell, denied knowledge of the drugs, so both were arrested and were later indicted in federal court.

Hunter has also pleaded guilty to the same charge. She will be sentenced June 25 in Lexington.

The post Floyd woman sentenced in federal meth conspiracy case appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

ASHLAND, Ky. — A Magoffin County man has been sentenced to more than four years in prison, after he was found with multiple firearms, despite a previous felony conviction.

Andrew Gustaf Nielsen, 44, of Salyersville, pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to a federal charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Nielsen was arrested last May, after the Magoffin County Sheriff’s Office raided his home and found him in possession of six firearms, despite his previous felony conviction in Idaho for possession and distribution of marijuana and LSD, aggravated assault and a parole violation.

He came under investigation after neighbors complained about him coming out of his house to shoot guns in the air and threaten to kill and rape his neighbors and their families.

Nielsen had faced up to 15 years in prison for his crime, but on Friday, the judge sentenced him to 56 months. He was taken into custody immediately after the hearing.

The post Magoffin man sentenced for having guns despite felony conviction appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

ASHLAND, Ky. — A Paintsville man who admitted to secretly recording an underage guest while she showered and changed was ordered to serve 25 years in prison during his sentencing hearing on Friday.

Henry Jonathan Ritscher, 44, pleaded guilty in January to a federal charge of producing child pornography. In doing so, he admitted to recording the girl, who was a distant relative of his wife’s who would occasionally come to visit.

The crime was discovered when the girl accompanied Ritscher to pick up pizza on Sept. 6. While Ritcher went inside to get the food, the girl stayed in the car and used his phone while waiting. It was on that phone that she discovered a video of herself.

Following an investigation by Paintsville Police, Ritscher made a full confession to police, saying he had been recording the girl, who was 15 at that time, for about a year-and-a-half.

Character letters written by Ritscher’s sisters say the hidden cameras had originally been installed so he could keep an eye on his wife and autistic son while he was away from home working as a truck driver.

In addition to his sentence, he must participate in a sex offender treatment program while in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years after his release.

Ritscher was taken into custody immediately after Friday’s hearing.

The post Paintsville man sentenced to 25 years in child porn case involving hidden cameras appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

ABINGDON, Va. — Two people pleaded guilty in federal court this week to conspiring to distribute meth in Wise County.

Randall Neil Peaks, 53, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday and Elizabeth Ann Sexton, 36, pleaded guilty on Friday.

Both had been charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of meth. Peaks pleaded guilty to that charge, while Sexton pleaded guilty to a lesser charge involving more than 50 grams.

Peaks now faces a potential life sentence, while Sexton faces up to 40 years.

Both are being held in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail at Abingdon. Sentencing dates have not yet been set.

The post Two plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute meth in Wise County appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Floyd County man who was indicted on armed drug trafficking charges earlier this year will remain behind bars while he awaits a resolution to his case.

David Lee Ousley, 44, of Martin, was arrested Jan. 15, after Kentucky State Police raided his home and seized nearly three-quarters of a pound of meth, 7 lbs. of marijuana, an assortment of pills, more than $6,700 in cash and more than 30 guns.

A week later, his case was bumped up to federal court, when he was indicted for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of meth, possession of more than 50 grams of meth with the intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in a drug-trafficking crime. If convicted, he could face a minimum of 15 years in prison, up to a maximum of two consecutive life sentences.

His attorney requested a detention hearing to see if he could qualify for release on bail. That hearing was held Tuesday in Frankfort federal court, and on Wednesday, a federal magistrate ruled that Ousley would remain in jail.

In his detention order, the judge concluded there were no pretrial release conditions he could set that would guarantee the safety of the community, due to the seriousness of the charges, Ousley’s likelihood of reoffending, and his history of violence, substance abuse and mental illness.

Ousley is currently being held in the Grayson County Detention Center. His trial has been set for June 11.

The post Floyd man ordered to remain in jail pending federal drug and gun trial appeared first on Mountain Top Media.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Huntington, W.Va., man has entered a guilty plea to a federal drug charge, after he was caught bringing a shipment of fentanyl to Pike County.

Donte Hendricks, 30, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lexington federal court to one count of possession of more than 40 grams of fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

The case arose out of a traffic stop last year. Pikeville Police had received a tip that Hendricks would be bringing a large amount of fentanyl to the area. The tip included a description of the man and his car, so police were able to locate him and pull him over on Ratliff’s Creek Road on Feb. 26, 2025.

After he was stopped, Pikeville Police asked the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office to bring in a K-9 to sniff around the car. That resulted in the seizure of 103.6 grams of fentanyl and $917 in cash.

Hendricks had asked that the evidence from the stop should be tossed out, arguing that police did not have reasonable suspicion to stop him or to extend the traffic stop to allow the drug dog to be brought to the scene.

The court ruled against that request in December, but Hendricks’ plea agreement leaves open the door for him to appeal that denial. If an appeals court agrees to suppress the evidence, he will be allowed to withdraw his plea.

Hendricks will be sentenced Aug. 6 in Lexington, when he will face 5-to-40 years in prison.

The post Huntington man pleads guilty to bringing shipment of fentanyl to Pike County appeared first on Mountain Top Media.