BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Another gun-runner with a rap sheet is facing federal time. Richard Charles Cart, 42, of Poca, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm – a clear violation of federal law and a slap in the face to law-abiding citizens. This isn’t a first offense; Cart *knew* he wasn’t supposed to have a gun.
Court records show Cart attempted to offload a Ruger model LCP .380-caliber pistol at a Charleston pawn shop on February 28, 2025. The feds quickly caught wind. What Cart conveniently forgot – or simply disregarded – is his checkered past. He’s already been convicted of grand larceny in Kanawha Circuit Court on May 23, 2022, and for possessing methamphetamine in Jackson County, Georgia, Superior Court on August 8, 2019. Two felonies, two strikes, and a clear prohibition against owning a firearm.
This case isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s part of Operation Take Back America, a sweeping federal initiative designed to dismantle criminal organizations and, according to the DOJ, “repel the invasion of illegal immigration.” While the connection to immigration seems tenuous in this particular case, the broader goal is clear: crack down on violent crime and those who fuel it. The operation combines resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston didn’t mince words, praising the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office. “We will not tolerate individuals who disregard the law and put our communities at risk,” she stated. That’s easy to say, but it’s the work on the ground – the investigations, the arrests, the prosecutions – that actually makes a difference.
Cart is scheduled to be sentenced on January 13, 2026, before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber. He’s looking at a maximum of 15 years behind bars, up to three years of supervised release *after* that, and a hefty $250,000 fine. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is handling the prosecution. Whether that sentence will be enough to deter others remains to be seen.
For those seeking more detailed information, a copy of the press release is available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of West Virginia. Court documents related to Case No. 2:25-cr-108 can be accessed through PACER. Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the sentencing.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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