Federal Jury Convicts Charleston Man of Drug and Gun Crimes

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – After two days of trial, a federal jury convicted Samuel Pierre Joseph, 40, of Charleston, today of one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine, one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of  methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Joseph was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for possession of marijuana, fourth offense, in the Second Judicial District Court for the Parish of Bienville, Louisiana, on April 14, 2015.

Evidence at trial proved that on December 27, 2021, law enforcement officers encountered Joseph as he left his room at the Knights Inn on MacCorkle Avenue in Charleston. Joseph dropped a black duffel bag he was carrying and attempted to flee. Officers apprehended Joseph and found approximately 267 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and two firearms, a Smith & Wesson Model Bodyguard .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a Ruger model LC9s 9mm semi-automatic pistol, in the duffel bag. Officers also found $1,355 on Joseph’s person.

On March 17, 2022, Joseph was a passenger of a vehicle pulled over by law enforcement officers in a Dudley Avenue parking lot in Parkersburg. During the traffic stop, officers found approximately 152 grams of methamphetamine and 12.9 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin on Joseph’s person. Officers arrested Joseph and took him to the Parkersburg Police Department. While at the police department, Joseph attempted to dispose of a business card from a Charleston storage unit rental facility that included the number of a storage unit that Joseph rented at the facility. Officers recovered the card and obtained a search warrant for the rented storage unit. Officers found approximately 896.8 grams of methamphetamine and  83.6 grams of fentanyl in the rented storage unit when they executed the search warrant.

“I commend the law enforcement agencies that investigated this case as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy Wolfe and Troy Adams,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson.  “I credit the work of the entire trial team for securing guilty verdicts against the defendant on all five counts.”

Joseph is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison.

The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) and the Parkersburg Police Department conducted the investigation with assistance provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Charleston Police Department.

Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the jury trial.

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. 2:22-cr-93.

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