Larry Joe Chapman, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, West Virginia 2024

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Kanawha County man has been found guilty of a federal gun crime, according to a recent plea agreement.

Larry Joe Chapman, 44, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On March 28, 2024, law enforcement officers responded to a reported shoplifting at a MacCorkle Avenue business in South Charleston. Officers encountered Chapman in the storage room of the business, with a knife in his hand. Officers arrested Chapman, took him outside, and searched him.

According to court documents and statements made in court, officers found a Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard .380-caliber pistol and merchandise belonging to the business on Chapman’s person.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Chapman knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for breaking and entering a building other than a dwelling on February 5, 2018, and conspiracy to operate and attempt to operate a clandestine drug laboratory for the purpose of manufacturing methamphetamine on November 8, 2013, both in Kanawha County Circuit Court.

Chapman is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the South Charleston Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing 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.

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-125.

Defendant: Larry Joe Chapman

Criminal Charges: Felon in Possession of a Firearm

City and State: Charleston, West Virginia

Exact Date: March 28, 2024

Sentence: Scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2025, facing a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

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