CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two Fayette County men are facing serious time behind bars after admitting to illegally possessing firearms, the Department of Justice announced today. Lesley Scott Watkins, 50, and Jawuan Akil Watts, 31, both of Oak Hill, each pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm – a charge that carries a hefty penalty in these parts.
The feds say Watkins was packing heat on July 5, 2024, found with an HS Product model XD-S .45-caliber pistol and a Sig Sauer model P220 45-caliber pistol in Fayette County. Not exactly a concealed carry permit situation, considering his rap sheet. Just a day later, on July 6, 2024, Watts was caught with a Heritage Manufacturing model Rough Rider .22-caliber revolver and a Colt model Peacemaker .22-caliber revolver, also in Fayette County. Seems like someone wasn’t getting the message.
Both men knew they weren’t supposed to have guns. Watkins, it turns out, was already a convicted felon, slapped with a delivery of a controlled substance charge in Fayette County Circuit Court way back on September 24, 2008. Watts’s criminal history includes a burglary conviction in Raleigh County Circuit Court on July 11, 2014. The law is clear: a prior felony conviction means no firearms. These guys apparently decided to roll the dice anyway.
The sentencing date is set for December 4, 2025, giving both Watkins and Watts plenty of time to reflect on their choices. They’re each looking at a maximum of 15 years in federal prison, plus up to three years of supervised release, and a potential $250,000 fine. That’s a steep price to pay for a little firepower, especially when you’ve already lost the right to own it.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the guilty pleas, praising the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Oak Hill Police Department. It’s a solid bust, and a reminder that federal agencies are actively working to get illegal guns off the streets. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearings, and Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Boggess and D. Keith Randolph are handling the prosecution.
This case is wrapped up in something bigger: Operation Take Back America. Sounds like a political slogan, but it’s a nationwide initiative aimed at tackling illegal immigration, dismantling cartels, and, yes, cracking down on violent crime. It pulls resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods. More info can be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of West Virginia, and court documents are available on PACER (Case Nos. 2:25-cr-92 (Watkins) and 2:25-cr-93 (Watts)).
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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