Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Fentanyl and Gun Crimes

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced today to six years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Curtis Givens, 52, admitted to selling several grams of fentanyl as well as two firearms, including a .32-caliber handgun, to a confidential informant on November 10, 2020. Givens admitted that he sold the confidential informant an additional 14 grams of fentanyl on November 18, 2020. Both transactions occurred at Givens’ residence on Charleston’s West Side.

Givens also brandished a firearm on July 7, 2021, while arguing with another person in view of a Charleston police officer who then immediately arrested Givens.

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

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney L. Alexander Hamner prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.

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 No. 2:21-cr-166.

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