Steven Somers Gets 78 Months for Guns and Drugs

Steven Somers, a 25-year-old from Clinton, Maryland, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison today after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user and to possession with intent to distribute marijuana. The sentencing, handed down in Clarksburg, West Virginia, marks the end of a two-year federal case rooted in a dangerous trail of guns, drugs, and witness tampering.

Somers admitted to possessing marijuana in Monongalia County in July 2019 and was found with a 5.7x28mm caliber pistol in Lewis County in June 2018—charges that triggered federal prosecution due to interstate elements and the nature of his criminal conduct. The initial break in the case came during a routine traffic stop when Lewis County deputies discovered counterfeit currency, the loaded pistol, ammunition, marijuana, and an amphetamine/MDMA mix known as “molly” in Somers’ possession.

A subsequent federal search of Somers’ Monongalia County residence in July 2019 uncovered a far more alarming operation: multiple firearms, additional ammunition, THC vape cartridges, psychoactive mushrooms, over $12,000 in cash, and a full-scale illegal marijuana grow. Evidence presented by ATF agents revealed that several of the weapons were straw-purchased for Somers by associates—guns that later surfaced in violent and high-risk scenarios hundreds of miles from where they were bought.

One firearm purchased for Somers was seized by Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department and appeared to be in the possession of a convicted murderer. Another was intercepted in Maryland when a high school student tried to bring it onto school grounds. Three of the traced guns remain missing, raising urgent concerns about community safety and illegal gun trafficking networks.

U.S. Attorney Bill Powell emphasized the severity: “Drugs and firearms are not only a dangerous combination, it is an illegal one. When combined with witness intimidation, the significant sentence was justified and in the interests of our communities.” Those concerns became reality when U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh revoked Somers’ bond after testimony revealed he had threatened a potential witness to obstruct justice.

“Armed drug traffickers represent a violent and persistent threat to our communities, especially those who would seek to obstruct justice by threatening witnesses,” said R. Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Louisville Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Cogar prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation. Judge Kleeh presided over the sentencing hearing.