DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Southern District of West Virginia

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Michael B. Stuart
, United States Attorney
Contact: AUSA Assigned

Mason County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Mason County  man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.   Conrad D. Berkley, II, 37, of Gallipolis Ferry, previously pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Stuart commended the investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

“It’s simple – convicted felons are prohibited from possessing guns,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “As part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), we are working with ATF and state and local law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute felons like Berkley that have chosen to ignore federal gun laws.”

On April 3, 2017, Special Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives went to Drew’s Jewelry, Gun and Pawn in Gallipolis Ferry, West Virginia to determine if anyone had recently sold an AK-47 rifle to the store.  Agents discovered that Berkley had sold a Century Arms, model RAS 47 to the store on March 27, 2017 for $148.00.  Berkley was prohibited from possessing any firearm under federal law because of a 2007 conviction in Cabell County Circuit Court for Unlawful Wounding. 

Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is responsible for the prosecution. 

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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Louisville Field Division