Berkeley County man sentenced for firearms charge

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Sean Michael Placko, of Hedgesville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 60 months for a firearms conspiracy, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Placko, age 43, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy” in November 2018. Placko admitted to participating in a conspiracy to purchase and transfer firearms out of state and to a prohibited person. The crime took place from October 2017 to February 2018 in Berkeley County and elsewhere.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.

Chief U.S District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.