Putnam County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Richard Charles Cart, 42, of Poca, was sentenced today to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 28, 2025, Cart sold a Ruger model LCP .380-caliber pistol at a pawn shop in Charleston.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Cart knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for grand larceny in Kanawha Circuit Court on May 23, 2022, and for possession of methamphetamine in Jackson County, Georgia, Superior Court on August 8, 2019.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent 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. 2:25-cr-108.

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