Robert Cleveland Barham, Possessing Stolen Firearms as a Felon, North Carolina 2021

Raleigh, N.C. – A Wake County man has been sent to prison for possessing stolen firearms, a crime he’s guilty of committing as a felon.

Robert Cleveland Barham, a 30-year-old resident of Wake County, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for possessing fourteen firearms that had been stolen from a self-storage unit in Wendell, North Carolina in January 2019. The guns were later traded for heroin in Henderson, North Carolina.

Barham’s conviction stems from a guilty plea entered on October 4, 2021. He admitted to possessing the fourteen stolen firearms, which is a federal offense for someone with a prior felony conviction.

The case was investigated by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parris prosecuting the case.

As a result of the investigation, Barham was charged with possessing stolen firearms as a felon, a crime he had previously been convicted of in 2014 and again in 2018 for breaking and entering, larceny, and obtaining property by false pretenses.

The sentencing was made possible by the diligent work of law enforcement and prosecutors, who have brought to justice a man who has shown no regard for the law.

Robert Cleveland Barham, who was previously convicted of breaking and entering in 2014, and obtaining property by false pretenses, larceny in 2018, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for possessing stolen firearms as a felon in North Carolina. His crimes were investigated by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

As a convicted felon, Barham was prohibited from possessing firearms, but he chose to ignore the law and engage in a life of crime.

His sentencing serves as a reminder that law enforcement will continue to pursue and prosecute those who break the law and put innocent lives at risk.

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