Casey Rygh, 47, of Rochester, Minnesota, pleaded guilty on July 27 to being a felon in possession of a firearm in Bluefield, West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement officers were searching for Rygh on August 25, 2025, to serve felony arrest warrants when they located and captured him in the Matoaka area of Mercer County. Officers found that he possessed a loaded SCCY Model CPX-2 9mm pistol. Federal law prohibits individuals with prior felony convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition. Rygh was aware he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his previous felony convictions for two counts of felony murder and conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery from December 15, 1997.
Rygh is scheduled for sentencing on November 9 and faces up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine reaching $250,000. He was apprehended during Operation Rolling Waters—a warrant and fugitive sweep led by the U.S. Marshals Service Cops United Felony Fugitive Enforcement Division Task Force of Southern West Virginia.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the plea and commended the investigative work by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the United States Marshals Service. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing, while Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative using Department of Justice resources intended to address illegal immigration issues and combat cartels and transnational criminal organizations.