Monongalia County men indicted for firearms charges

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – DeRon Parrish and Andre Parrish, both of Morgantown, West Virginia, were arraigned today after being indicted by a federal grand sitting in Clarksburg on May 7, 2019 on firearms charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

DeRon, age 31, and Andre, age  24, were each indicted on one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Possession of a Stolen Firearm.” DeRon was indicted on one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearm as Convicted Felon.” Andre was indicted on one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm as Drug User.” DeRon and Andre, both prohibited from having a firearm, are accused of having three 12-guage shotguns, suspected to be stolen, in Monongalia County in November 2018.
 
DeRon and Andre each face up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for each 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.

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 Andrew R. Cogar is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Morgantown Police Department investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.