Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced today to three years and two  months in prison for a federal gun crime.

According to court documents and statements made during the plea hearing, Richard Howard King II, 26, was involved in an argument with another individual at a bar in Cross Lanes on March 13, 2021. During the argument, King retrieved a gun from his car and fired a .45 caliber round from it.  King admitted that he possessed the round of .45 caliber Tula ammunition that was fired from the gun and that he was prohibited from possessing the ammunition as a result of a 2016 federal conviction. King was still on supervised release for the prior felony conviction at the time.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence.  Assistant United States Attorney Alex Hamner prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:21-cr-00008 & 2:15-cr-000218.

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