Two Men Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Firearms

CHARLESTON, W.Va. –  Two men were sentenced by Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber for illegally possessing firearms, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.

“We are prosecuting prohibited persons for illegally possessing firearms in every corner of the District,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “And the number of firearms cases we have prosecuted this year is off the charts.”

Reed Ryan Quick, 47, of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia was sentenced to 46 months in prison.  The investigation was conducted by the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Quick previously pled guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, admitting that on January 20, 2018, he possessed a Ruger 9mm pistol while attempting to purchase drugs in Charleston. Quick is prohibited from possessing any firearms due to a 2015 Greenbrier County felony conviction for operating a clandestine methamphetamine lab.

In addition, a Wood County felon was sentenced to 48 months in prison for illegally possessing two firearms.  Scott Phillips, 33, of Parkersburg, previously pled guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.  The case was investigated by the Parkersburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On February 3, 2017, officers with the Parkersburg Police Department stopped a vehicle Phillips was riding in.  Phillips fled the vehicle on foot and unsuccessfully attempted to hide two pistols as police pursued him.  Phillips is prohibited from possessing any firearms due to a 2006 Wood County felony burglary conviction.

Assistant United States Attorney Matt Davis handled the prosecutions.

The cases were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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