Jason Allen Rhule, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, West Virginia 2024

A Charleston man has been sentenced to prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Jason Allen Rhule, 45, of Charleston, was sentenced to six years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston.

The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.

Rhule was on parole for prior felony convictions when parole officers conducted a search of his residence as a condition of his supervision on July 24, 2024. Officers found a Taurus model PT-140 Millenium G2 .40-caliber pistol and a Palmetto State Armory model PA-15 multi-caliber rifle in Rhule's bedroom. Officers also found loaded ammunition magazines, including high-capacity magazines for the multi-caliber rifle.

Rhule knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm as a result of his prior felony convictions for attempted manufacture of a controlled substance in Putnam County Circuit Court on October 3, 2022, and attempted grand larceny in Kanawha County Circuit Court on July 31, 2023.

Rhule's sentence is part of the Department's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, which brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The PSN program is based on the core principles of fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-157.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/charleston-man-sentenced-prison-federal-gun-crime-16