Friday, December 11, 2020

Grant County man admits to drug and firearms charges

 ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Jay Dean Hall, of Petersburg, West Virginia, has admitted to drug and firearms charges, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Hall, 55, pled guilty today to on one count of “Maintaining Drug-Involved Premises,” and one count of “Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Crime.” Hall admitted to using his home on Spencer Drive in Petersburg as a drug distribution location and having a 9mm rifle in his home. The crimes occurred in August 2019 in Grant County.

Hall faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the drug charge and faces at least five years of incarceration for the firearm during a drug crime charge. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives investigated.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.

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