Jason Garcia Cano, Firearm Possession, WV 2024

Jason Garcia Cano, 42, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, is headed to federal prison for 27 months after being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm—a .22 caliber revolver—amid a prior felony record that barred him from owning any weapon.

The sentence, handed down today in Clarksburg, marks the end of a years-long federal case that exposed Cano’s possession of the loaded revolver in Harrison County in October 2016, a clear violation of federal law for anyone previously convicted of a felony.

Cano formally pled guilty in October 2017 to one count of “Unlawless Possession of a Firearm,” admitting he held onto the weapon despite knowing his status as a convicted felon. His prior conviction stems from a 2008 judgment in the 426th District Court in Bell County, Texas, which permanently stripped him of gun rights.

The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci M. Cook, who argued for stiff consequences given Cano’s criminal history and the inherent danger of armed felons in the community. Federal prosecutors emphasized that even a single firearm in the wrong hands can fuel violence and destabilize neighborhoods.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) alongside the Greater Harrison Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a federal initiative funded through the HIDTA program targeting high-impact offenders across northern West Virginia.

Sentencing was presided over by Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley, who affirmed the 27-month term as just and necessary under federal sentencing guidelines. Cano will begin serving his sentence immediately, followed by a term of supervised release upon completion of incarceration.