New York Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jaquan Jeremiah Wright, 22, of New York, pleaded guilty today to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.  Wright was arrested on a federal criminal complaint in February 2021 in connection with a long-term investigation into a methamphetamine trafficking organization operating in Charleston.  He was later charged by an Information on March 16, 2021.

According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, officers with the Charleston Police Department conducted a traffic stop of Wright’s vehicle on July 20, 2020.  During the traffic stop, the officers found a Polymer80 PFC9, 9mm pistol in Wright’s car between the console and passenger seat.  At that time, Wright was subject to a Domestic Violence Protective Order that was entered in the Jamestown City Court, County of Chautauqua, New York. That Domestic Violence Protective Order remains in effect until December 11, 2024.

Wright faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release when he is sentenced on July 1, 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston thanked the law enforcement agencies for their excellent work in this case and their commitment to ensuring that individuals subject to a Domestic Violence Protective Order do not possess a firearm.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) conducted the investigation, dubbed the “Woo Boyz,” with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police. The Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) provided critical support to the investigative agencies.

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is handling the prosecution. 

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

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-00039.

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