ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA - Michael Lewis Woodyard, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 21 months of incarceration for a firearms charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Woodyard, age 28, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm" in July 2020. Woodyard, who was previously convicted of a felony, admitted to having a.22 caliber pistol in August 2019 in Lewis County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office 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. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
