Braden Robertson, 31, of Oak Hill, was sentenced on July 28 to three years and ten months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Robertson possessed multiple firearms on July 6, 2024. The firearms included a Ruger model Wrangler .22-caliber revolver, a Colt model Buntline Scout .22-caliber revolver, a Ruger model Blackhawk .45-caliber revolver, a Sar Arms model SARB6P Hawk 9mm pistol, and an Excam model GT27 .25-caliber pistol. Federal law prohibits individuals with prior felony convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition. Robertson was aware he could not possess these items due to his previous felony convictions for conspiracy to commit a felony and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance on July 30, 2018.
Four of the firearms found with Robertson were reported stolen from a Fayette County pawn shop. On July 4, 2024, Jawuan Akil Watts and others broke into the pawn shop three times while it was closed and stole thirty-three firearms along with ammunition, coins, and a gaming console. Watts traded or sold many of these stolen guns within the Oak Hill community—including to individuals with felony convictions. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Lesley Scott Watkins’ residence on July 6 and recovered three firearms there; two had been stolen from the pawn shop. Sixteen stolen firearms remain unrecovered.
On December 4, 2025, Watts received an eight-year prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Watkins was sentenced to three years and ten months in prison with supervised release for the same offense.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the sentences and commended investigative work by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as well as the Oak Hill Police Department. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed all sentences involved in this case; Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph prosecuted it.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative using Department of Justice resources aimed at addressing illegal immigration issues as well as violent crime connected to cartels or transnational criminal organizations.