Four men have been sentenced to federal prison for firearms violations, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Tomez Faulkner, 39, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received a 60-month sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm. Authorities stopped Faulkner on Interstate 70 in Ohio County due to erratic driving and found a stolen 9mm pistol inside his vehicle. Faulkner was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous aggravated assault conviction in Pennsylvania.
Steven Wayne Springer, 57, of Proctor, West Virginia, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. An off-duty officer reported seeing Springer with a firearm to the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), citing Springer’s history with wildlife hunting regulation violations. A DNR officer visited Springer—who is barred from having firearms due to a prior felony drug conviction—and Springer admitted to owning multiple guns. Law enforcement later searched his home and seized two rifles, a shotgun, and various ammunition.
Peter Alexander Ruskin, 52, of Wheeling, West Virginia, received an 18-month sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department responded to a domestic violence call at Ruskin’s residence where he was found hiding in the basement; officers discovered a gun hidden under the couch and later located more ammunition during another search. Ruskin is not allowed to possess firearms due to earlier domestic battery convictions.
Steven Wayne Tubby, 45, of Moundsville, West Virginia, was sentenced to 21 months after being convicted for unlawful possession following an incident where he threatened someone with a firearm at his home. Officers executed a search warrant and recovered both the weapon and ammunition. Tubby has two prior felonies involving assault with a dangerous weapon and wanton endangerment involving a firearm.
The investigations involved several agencies: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources; the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office; the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office; and the Moundsville Police Department.
“These cases are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration,” according to U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided over these cases.
