Matthew L. Farmer, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, West Virginia 2023

A Charleston man has been charged with a federal gun crime after he admitted to possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon.

Murder was not committed, but Matthew L. Farmer, 33, of Charleston, pleaded guilty on November 8, 2023, to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers had reason to believe Farmer was carrying a firearm and encountered him while patrolling Charleston’s West Side on November 8, 2023. Officers asked Farmer if he had a firearm, and he told them he had a firearm in his back pocket. Officers retrieved a Firearms Import Export (FIE) model Titan .25-caliber handgun from Farmer’s back pocket. The firearm had a magazine inserted that contained seven rounds of ammunition.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Farmer knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for first-degree robbery in Monongalia County Circuit Court on October 7, 2015, and grand larceny in Wetzel County Circuit Court on January 26, 2011.

Farmer is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10, 2024, 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 Charleston Police Department-Special Enforcement Unit (SEU) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The 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. 2:23-cr-202.

Mandatory facts: Defendant name, Matthew L. Farmer; crime, being a felon in possession of a firearm; city and state, Charleston, West Virginia; exact date, November 8, 2023; sentence or outcome, 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

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