The operators of a Cave City shooting range are watching to see how court cases against the former owner play out.

Jim Higginbotham and Eric Dean lease the shooting range formerly known as Cedar Ridge Shooting Academy. They are operating it now as the American Institute of Marksmanship.

Cedar Ridge owner Jonathan Neal Leber, 36, of Glasgow, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to embezzling $2.4 million from investment clients. Leber is also accused of using the defrauded money to buy and develop Cedar Ridge.

Higginbotham said Leber is facing a civil suit in Barren Circuit Court brought by a construction company over work done at the property.

“He owed me quite a bit of money for some of it; we got some of the stock in the store,” Higginbotham said of the gun shop on the property. “But when this court case started, we began shutting down the store and now only have it open when we have a training.”

Higginbotham and Dean began leasing the shooting range from Leber about a year ago.

“So we are just sort of waiting to see what happens,” Higginbotham said.

“We work with law enforcement agencies and the National Guard as a trainer,” he said. “Our passion is training folks in responsible firearms training.

“We are only involved (in the civil case) to the degree that we would like to see our lease recognized,” Higginbotham said. “That’s something that interests us a lot.

“We were sort of a victim of his habits, but not nearly as much as the people

he defrauded.”

Higginbotham said he wants to make it clear to people that he is in no way associated with Leber or his activities.

“We are just kind of holding down the place until it’s decided what will happen,” he said.

The shooting range, in addition to hosting training for various groups, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. There also is a restaurant on site operated by another party.

Leber was accused of taking the money from clients who invested through his Intrepid Financial Strategies Inc. from Aug. 1, 2007, until Jan. 14, 2011. Leber promised those clients from southern Indiana and Kentucky a 4 percent or 6 percent return on their investments but never had any intention of making the investments, the government said.

Instead, Leber used the money to buy and develop Cedar Ridge. The academy opened in June 2010, followed by a full service gun store in April 2011.

Leber had previously been indicted in Bullitt Circuit Court on three felony counts of forgery and received a probated sentence after entering a guilty plea on all counts. He was sentenced in Jefferson Circuit Court in June to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud charges there and is serving the sentence in a Kentucky state prison.

At his federal sentencing, yet to be set, Leber could face up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 and a three-year term of supervised release.