Eban Beyah, Charles Ansley Admit Gun Charges in Wheeling

Two convicted felons from Wheeling, West Virginia, have admitted to illegally possessing firearms, continuing a pattern of armed lawbreaking in the Ohio County corridor. Eban Joseph Keith Beyah, 45, and Charles C. Ansley, Jr., 37, both pleaded guilty to federal charges that carry stiff prison time and fines, underscoring the ongoing battle against gun violence in the region.

Beyah admitted to possessing a 9mm pistol in Ohio County in June 2017. A prior record that includes burglary and multiple drug-related convictions in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, bars him from legally owning a firearm under federal law. His guilty plea to one count of ‘Unlawful Possession of a Firearm’ was entered in federal court, where prosecutors emphasized the danger of armed felons operating with impunity.

Ansley, 37, admitted to possessing a .22 caliber revolver in the same county just two months later, in August 2017. Like Beyah, he has a prior felony conviction — burglary out of Lucas County, Ohio — making his possession of any firearm a federal crime. His admission in court signals another crack in the thin wall between past criminal behavior and future public threat.

Both men now face up to 10 years of federal incarceration and fines of up to $250,000. While the statutory maximum is clear, the actual sentence each will serve will be determined under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which weigh the seriousness of the offense and the defendant’s criminal history — a calculation that could land both behind bars for years.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Wheeling Police Department led the investigations, tracking down evidence that linked both men to the weapons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen L. Vogrin is prosecuting the cases, pushing for sentences that reflect the risk armed felons pose to community safety.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James E. Seibert presided over the proceedings. The admissions mark a small but significant win in the federal crackdown on illegal gun possession, particularly among repeat offenders. As West Virginia continues to grapple with rising violent crime, cases like these serve as grim reminders of the weapons quietly circulating in the shadows.