Huntington, West Virginia — A 55-year-old local man, Juan Isom, admitted in federal court today to illegally possessing a firearm, a move that could land him behind bars for up to a decade. The guilty plea marks the latest enforcement action under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, aimed squarely at repeat offenders with violent histories.
On July 13, 2018, West Virginia State Police Troopers from the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West executed a search warrant at Isom’s Huntington residence. Inside his bedroom, investigators found a loaded Taurus .38 caliber revolver sitting on the shelf of his nightstand — a discovery that immediately raised red flags under federal law.
Isom, a convicted felon due to a 2006 felony drug conviction in Gaston County, North Carolina, is categorically barred from owning or possessing any firearm. That past conviction transformed what might have been a lesser offense into a federal crime carrying a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor and presided over by U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers during the July 2019 plea hearing. No plea deal details were disclosed, but sentencing is scheduled for August 5, 2019, in Huntington federal court.
The Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West led the investigation, continuing a crackdown on illegal gun possession in high-crime zones. The operation fits within the broader framework of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a DOJ-backed program that targets violent offenders through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement.
Project Safe Neighborhoods emphasizes intelligence-driven policing and partnerships with community-based prevention and reentry programs. But for Juan Isom, the focus now is on accountability — and the looming possibility of a decade in federal prison for a weapon found within arm’s reach of his bed.
RELATED: Ohio Man Whitt Cops to Gun Charges in Huntington
Related Federal Cases
- 32-Year-Old Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Felon in Possession of Firearm · West Virginia
- Russell Cary Owens Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm Possession · North Carolina
- Rollie C. Poynter Jr. Charged with Illegal Firearm Possession · Kentucky
- Ohio Man Whitt Cops to Gun Charges in Huntington · West Virginia
- Mark A. Simmons Charged with Illegal Firearm Possession · West Virginia
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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