Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime (DOJ)

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Maurice Kelly Johnson, also known as "Reese," 58, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 22, 2025, Johnson provided a Smith & Wesson model M&P Shield M2.0 9mm pistol that was sold to a confidential informant in Huntington. As part of his guilty plea, Johnson admitted to possessing the firearm and to providing it to co-defendant Earl Michael Myers, who conducted the transaction.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Johnson knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base on November 23, 1999, and conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base on September 4, 1992, both in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Johnson and Myers are among several individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging they conspired to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, and methamphetamine in the Huntington area from at least in and around March 2025 to in and around August 2025.

Myers, also known as "Mike," 45, of Huntington, pleaded guilty on January 6, 2026, to distribution of cocaine base and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2026. Co-defendant Erin Leigh Keeney, 41, of Huntington, pleaded guilty on December 15, 2025, to distribution of carfentanil and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 30, 2026. Two other individuals were indicted separately as a result of the same investigation including Donovan Dewayne Pauley, 20, of Huntington, who pleaded guilty on October 27, 2025, to possession of a short-barreled shotgun not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 9, 2026.

The charges again the remaining defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Huntington Police Department, and the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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 PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-161.

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