Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Jermaine Demaul Cathey, 43, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April, 20, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested Cathey on an outstanding warrant from Ohio after conducting a traffic stop of a vehicle Cathey was driving in Huntington. Officers searched the vehicle following the arrest and found a loaded SCCY model CPX-1 9mm pistol under the vehicle's center console. Cathey admitted to possessing the firearm.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Cathey knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery in Franklin County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas on August 28, 2006, being a felon in possession of a firearm and attempting to commit a felony in Cabell County Circuit Court on January 17, 2013, and being a felon in possession of a firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on December 11, 2017.

Cathey is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to 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 Huntington Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor is prosecuting the case.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the result

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. 3:23-cr-179.

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