BLUEFIELD, W.Va. - United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that a Bluefield man was sentenced yesterday to federal prison on a gun charge. Laron Safford, 42, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The case was investigated by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
“Repeat offenders keep my prosecutors busy," said United States Mike Stuart. “We will prosecute convicted felons found to be in possession of firearms EVERY. SINGLE. DAY."
Safford pled guilty in January, admitting that on Sept. 14, 2017, he possessed two pistols at his residence in Bluefield. Safford was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior felony convictions of delivery of a controlled substance and trafficking in cocaine. He also admitted that he sold cocaine to an informant in Bluefield on four occasions in September 2017.
Assistant United States Attorney John File prosecuted the case and Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
