Huntington Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Gun Crime

Tuesday, October 1, 2024, 10:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

HUNTINGTON, W.VA.- On Monday, September 30, 2024, Weslee Nathaniel Black, 38, of Huntington, West Virginia, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers to Being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm.

     According to documents filed in the district court, on March 28, 2023, members of the Huntington Police Department ordered Black to exit a motor vehicle after being stopped on the 1300 Block of Marcum Terrace in Huntington for possessing a stolen vehicle.

     After exiting the vehicle, Black was arrested for grand larceny of the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle by Police Officers led to a Hatfield Model PAS 12-gauge shotgun with a sawed-off barrel.

Black Admits Guilt In Court

     During Monday’s hearing, Black admitted in court that he possessed the shotgun and, that he knew it had a sawed-off barrel when he purchased it, and that it was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration Transfer Record as required by federal law.

     The Federal firearms laws prohibit a person with a prior conviction for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing or owning a firearm or ammunition. Black was well aware he was prohibited from possessing a gun because of his prior conviction for domestic battery in Cabell County Magistrate Court on January 31, 2023.

     After Black entered his guilty plea, Judge Chambers accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for January 13, 2025. At that time, Black faces up to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

     U.S. Attorney Will Thopmson commended the Huntington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for the investigation, which led to Black’s guilty plea on Monday.