Parkersburg Man Pleads Guilty to Straw Purchase Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Laikin Williams, 25, of Parkersburg, pleaded guilty today to making a false statement in acquisition of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 5, 2022, Williams purchased a Taurus model PT111 G2A 9mm pistol at a Parkersburg business. Williams admitted that he bought the firearm for another individual, and falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that he was the purchaser of the firearm when he knew he was buying it for the other individual.

Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on March 17, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the assistance provided by the Parkersburg Violent Crime and Narcotics Task Force.

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph and former Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams have prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted under the criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022. BSCA is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-133.

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