Parkersburg Man Pleads Guilty Firearms Straw Purchasing
Monday, December 2, 2024, 6:45 P.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
CHARLESTON, W.VA.- Today, December 2, 2024, Laiken Williams, 25, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Western Virginia and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Thomas E. Johnston to Making a False Statement on a Federal Firearms Acquisition Form.
After entering his guilty plea today, Judge Johnston accepted it and scheduled sentencing for March 17, 2025. At that time, Williams faces up to five years in federal prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
According to U.S. Attorney Will Thompson and charging documents filed with the court, on August 5, 2022, Williams purchased a Taurus G2A 9mm handgun from a Parkersburg, West Virginia gun store.
During his plea allocution today, Williams admitted in court that he purchased the firearm for another individual and falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that he was the purchaser of the handgun when he knew he was buying it for the other person.
U.S. Attorney Thompson commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with the assistance of the Parkersburg Violent Crime and Narcotics Task Force.
