Wheeling Man Gets Three-Year Sentence for Illegal Guns

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A judge has delivered a severe blow to the streets of Wheeling with a three-year prison sentence for Melvin B. Neff, 56, who was caught with eight firearms despite being prohibited due to past drug offenses.

Neff’s crime spree dates back to June 2014 when law enforcement stumbled upon him in possession of a arsenal that included five rifles, two shotguns, and a .45 caliber pistol. His guilty plea in December 2014 for ‘Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm’ marked the end of his latest confrontation with the law.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, who noted that Neff’s 1993 conviction for violating the Controlled Substance, Drug Device and Cosmetic Act had already stripped him of the right to bear arms.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Vogrin led the prosecution against Neff, while the Wheeling Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) handled the investigation. Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp presided over the case.

This sentence sends a clear message about the consequences of illegal gun possession, especially for those with prior convictions like Neff.