Charleston man sentenced to 17 years for illegal possession of a firearm

Charleston, W.Va. – A Charleston, West Virginia felon who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced today to 17 years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced.   On August 27, 2014, a jury found Diarra Jermaine Boddy, 44, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Today’s sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. 

On September 10, 2013, Boddy was stopped by a Charleston Police Department officer on Veazey Street in Charleston, after he threw a loaded .44 caliber revolver from the care he was driving. Boddy had previously been convicted of several felonies including third offense domestic battery and three prior drug offenses. Boddy was sentenced as an Armed Career Criminal which provided for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.

The investigation was conducted by the Charleston Police Department.  Assistant United States AttorneysJoshua Hanks and Haley Bunn handled the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.