A Charleston, W.V., man admitted guilt to federal gun crimes earlier this month, according to a March 2 U.S. Department of Justice news release.
James Edward Bennett III, 30, reportedly conspired to commit murder last year with several others as part of a multi-state methamphetamine distribution operation, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia reported. Bennett, a convicted felon, was reportedly caught armed with multiple weapons when police intervened.
According to court documents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered the murder conspiracy through a wiretap investigation. Bennett was found with a 9mm pistol and .223 caliber pistol when law enforcement interrupted the murder conspiracy.
Bennett, who was convicted of unlawful wounding in 2019, voluntary manslaughter in 2017 and first-degree robbery in 2010, pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm as a felon and faces up to 10 years in federal prison at his May 23 sentencing.
“Public safety is always at risk when felons possess firearms, especially when they have a history of violent crime convictions," U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said in the release. "Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the FBI, the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department and [the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team], we will continue to thwart violent crimes in our communities.”
Bennett's three co-conspirators are also at various stages in the trial process, with one also having pleaded guilty and the other two slated for trial in May.
