Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to a federal gun crime. Edward Sample, 37, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence on Washington Avenue in Huntington on April 7, 2021. Sample, along with other individuals, was located inside the house.  Agents seized a loaded Taurus 9mm firearm, a dealer amount of  heroin and fentanyl, and over $1,600 in cash during the search.   Sample confessed to possessing the firearm to protect his money and drugs.  Sample also admitted to using the same Taurus 9mm  firearm two days earlier to shoot at a house in the Cross Lanes area in order to collect a $50 drug debt.  The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department investigated that incident. 

Sample faces a minimum sentence of 25 years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced on January 31, 2022.

United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Violent Crimes and Drug Task Force, the Huntington Police Department and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the plea hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Greg McVey is handling the prosecution.

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. 3:21-cr-00058.

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