Duffield Man Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing Marijuana, Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – A Duffield, Virginia man, who was on supervised release for a previous federal conviction after having served a lengthy state prison sentence for arson, pled guilty last week in U.S. District Court in Abingdon to federal marijuana and firearms charges, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen announced today.

Claude Gene Sloan, 75, pleaded guilty last week to one count of manufacturing and possessing with the intent to distribute more than 100 marijuana plants, one count of distribution of marijuana, and one count of being a previously convicted felon illegally in possession of a firearm.  Sloan was previously convicted of manufacturing marijuana and was on federal supervised release at the time of these offenses.

Sentencing has been scheduled for November 7, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. in the U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Southwest Drug Task Force, Virginia State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer is prosecuting the case for the United States