Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Charleston, W.Va. – Ryan Ashley Williams, 36, was sentenced today to 128 months in prison for federal firearm and drug crimes.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Williams was arrested by law enforcement officers at an apartment on Hall Street in Parkersburg on or about December 1, 2019. Officers located approximately 40 grams of a mixture containing carfentanil, fentanyl, and heroin on Williams. Also on his person were the keys to a safe where officers located approximately eight grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin, approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine, and a semi-automatic pistol. Williams admitted that he intended to distribute these substances to other people, and that he knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous felony conviction for first degree robbery with a firearm specification in Wood County Circuit Court.

Williams’ first degree robbery conviction was the result of a March 2012 incident where he robbed a Parkersburg business at gunpoint while wearing a ski mask. Williams ordered all the customers onto the ground and stole approximately $4,000 from the cash register. He was sentenced to a prison term of 20 years, and was under parole supervision as part of that sentence when these federal crimes were committed.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Parkersburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is handling the prosecution. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00091.