Matthew L. Farmer, a 33-year-old resident of Charleston, West Virginia, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for the federal crime of being a felon in possession of a firearm. This will be followed by three years of supervised release.
Court documents reveal that on November 8, 2023, law enforcement officers encountered Farmer during a patrol on Charleston's West Side. Officers suspected Farmer was carrying a firearm and questioned him about it. Farmer admitted to having a firearm in his back pocket. Officers then retrieved an FIE model Titan .25-caliber handgun from his possession, which had a magazine containing seven rounds.
Farmer was aware that he was legally prohibited from possessing firearms due to previous felony convictions. He had been convicted of first-degree robbery in Monongalia County Circuit Court on October 7, 2015, and grand larceny in Wetzel County Circuit Court on January 26, 2011.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Will Thompson, who praised the efforts of the Charleston Police Department-Special Enforcement Unit (SEU) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for their investigative work.
The sentence was imposed by Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander A. Redmon.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021, focusing on building community trust and legitimacy, supporting preventive community-based organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
Further details about this case can be found through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia or via PACER by searching Case No. 2:23-cr-202.