Parkersburg Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Charles Ray Mackey, 42, of Parkersburg, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 16, 2023, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Mackey in Parkersburg. Officers searched the vehicle following the traffic stop and found a German Sports Guns model Firefly .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Mackey knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for non-aggravated robbery, assault during the commission of a felony upon a person 65 years of age or older, and conspiracy to commit non-aggravated robbery in Wood County Circuit Court on June 12, 2001.

Mackey is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3, 2025, 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Parkersburg Police Department.

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin and former Assistant United States Attorney Bill Longwell have prosecuted the case.

This 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. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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. 2:24-cr-128.

###