Monongalia County man admits to illegal possession of a firearm

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Wilbur Higginbotham, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to illegally possessing a firearm, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Higginbotham, age 51, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Higginbotham, having previously been convicted of heroin and illegal firearms charges in U.S. District Court and drug charges in Prince George’s County Maryland Circuit Court, admitted to having a .22 caliber firearm in Harrison County in December 2017.

Higginbotham faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. 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 Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated. 
 
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.