A man from Monongalia County, West Virginia, has been sentenced for illegal possession of a firearm. U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced that Jamie Russell Jones, 47, received a 33-month federal prison sentence.
Law enforcement responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle and saw Jones exiting the car. Officers detected the smell of marijuana and conducted a lawful search. They found a backpack containing three handguns, methamphetamine, marijuana, and an empty firearm magazine in the vehicle. Authorities determined all three firearms had been reported stolen from a home in Gassaway, West Virginia in 2024. Due to previous convictions for firearms and theft offenses, Jones is barred from owning or possessing firearms.
After completing his prison term, Jones will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Rhee prosecuted the case for the government. The investigation was carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the West Virginia State Police; and the Gassaway Police Department.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided over the proceedings.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime and illegal immigration.
