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Press Release

Wheeling man sentenced to three years for unlawful possession of firearms

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of West Virginia

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Melvin B. Neff, 56, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for unlawful possession of firearms, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced.

Neff was convicted in 1993 in the Court of Common Pleas of Washington County, Pennsylvania of the felony offense of “Violation of the Controlled Substance, Drug Device and Cosmetic Act.” As a result of the conviction, Neff was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

In June 2014, Neff was discovered in possession of eight firearms including five rifles, two shotguns, and a .45 caliber pistol. Neff pled guilty in December 2014 to one count of “Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Vogrin prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Wheeling, West Virginia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.

Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp presided.

Updated January 8, 2016