Wetzel County man sentenced for firearms charge

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Lee Lemasters, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was sentenced 15 months for a firearms charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Lemasters, age 56, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm” in July 2019. Lemasters, who is prohibited from having a firearm because of a prior conviction, admitted to having a 9mm caliber pistol and 16 rounds of ammunition in Wetzel County in October 2018.

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 David J. Perri prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, West Virginia State Police, and the Paden City Police Department investigated. 

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.