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Fraud sentences reported in separate wire fraud and investment cases

Two outlets report differing defendants, conduct and prison terms; the accounts have not been reconciled.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 15, 2026, 1:44 a.m. ET
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Sentences have been imposed in fraud cases described in conflicting terms by two outlets, with no single account outweighing the other. WKYT reported on August 13, 2026 that Kevin Ryan Straw, 40, of Lexington, faced a charge of wire fraud. WSB Radio reported sentences for Todd Burkhalter, 55, founder of metro Atlanta-based Drive Planning, along with David Bradford and Julie Edwards. The terms imposed are reported differently. WKYT reported a sentence of . WSB Radio reported that Burkhalter received 20 years in federal prison and nearly $234 million in restitution, that Bradford received four years and three months in prison, and that Edwards received two years. The conduct alleged is also described differently, and the two descriptions have not been reconciled. According to WKYT, federal prosecutors say that between 2021 and 2024 Straw used his positions as President of FOP Metropolitan Lodge 32 in Louisville and Vice President/Government Affairs Chair of the Kentucky State FOP to run three fraudulent schemes: defrauding at least 10 individuals of $80,340 under false investment pretenses; misappropriating $49,760 from Metro Lodge 32 through cash withdrawals falsely claimed to be transfers to another lodge account; and charging $15,501.48 in personal expenses to the Kentucky State FOP credit card, plus falsely requesting $41,562.97 in reimbursements for travel he never incurred. According to WSB Radio, prosecutors say Burkhalter lured more than 2,000 investors to send millions for investments that did not exist, encouraging the use of retirement savings, college funds and high-interest loans, with investor money used to pay earlier investors and personal expenses including about $2 million for a yacht, $2.1 million toward a luxury condo in Mexico and $800,000 on luxury vehicles. That outlet reported investors lost about $380 million from 2020 through 2024. The agencies named across the two reports as investigating are the FBI, the Kentucky Attorney General's Office and the Louisville Metro Police Department.

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Revision history

  1. Version 115 Aug 2026, 05:44current

    First published.

  2. Version 114 Aug 2026, 00:20current

    First published.

  3. Version 115 Aug 2026, 06:10current

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  4. Version 114 Aug 2026, 00:22current

    First published.

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