Braxton County man admits to firearm and drug charges

ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Charles William Masters, of Burnsville, West Virginia, has admitted to firearm and drug charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Masters, age 44, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine,” and one count of “Carry a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime.” Masters admitted to illegally possessing a 9mm pistol while possessing methamphetamine on July 3, 2017 in Lewis County, West Virginia. 

Masters faces up to 40 years incarceration and a fine of up to $5,000,000 for the methamphetamine count, and up to life incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the firearm count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

The investigation was funded in part by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.