Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Straw Purchase Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Maximillian Keaton, 51, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting making false statements in acquisition of firearms.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 22, 2023, Keaton traveled with Daniel Lee Ferguson to a Barboursville business where Ferguson purchased for Keaton a Springfield Armory model Hellcat 9mm pistol. Keaton admitted that he asked Ferguson to buy the firearm for him because his prior felony conviction prohibits him from purchasing or possessing a firearm. Keaton further admitted that he showed Ferguson the firearm he wanted him to buy and provided Ferguson with the money for the purchase.

Ferguson falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that he was the buyer of the firearm when Ferguson knew he was purchasing it for Keaton.

Keaton further admitted that Ferguson purchased two other firearms for him at Cabell County businesses, a Bersa model Thunder 380 .380-caliber pistol on August 14, 2019, and a Springfield Armory model Prodigy 9mm on February 25, 2023. Ferguson falsely certified on the ATF Form 4473 for each purchase that he was the buyer of the firearm when he knew he was purchasing it for Keaton.

Keaton is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Ferguson, 45, of Huntington, pleaded guilty on October 23, 2023, to making false statements in acquisition of firearms and awaits sentencing.

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

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is prosecuting the case.

This case was prosecuted under the criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022. BSCA is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.

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. 3:23-cr-151. 

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