Straw Purchaser Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Daniel Lee Ferguson, 45, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to making false statements in acquisition of firearms.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 22, 2023, Ferguson purchased a Springfield Armory model Hellcat 9mm pistol at a Barboursville business. Ferguson admitted that he bought the firearm for an individual who accompanied him to the business, directed him which firearm to buy, and provided the money to purchase the firearm. Ferguson further admitted that he knew the individual had previously been convicted of a felony offense and could not purchase or possess a firearm. 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 the individual who was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Ferguson further admitted that he purchased two other firearms at Cabell County businesses for the individual, 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 the individual who was prohibited from possessing firearms

Ferguson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

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-42. 

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