CHARLESTON, W.Va. – An Indianapolis man pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 20, 2021, officers with the Parkersburg Police Department pulled over a vehicle driven by Steven Loren Mandrell, 44, formerly of Parkersburg, because it didn’t have a valid license plate. As an officer approached the vehicle, Mandrell was seen leaning toward the steering wheel as if he was concealing something underneath the driver’s seat. Mandrell admitted to having two loaded firearms under his seat, a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber pistol and a Bul Transmark 9mm pistol. Both firearms were seized by the officers.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Mandrell knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a January 27, 2010, conviction for delivery of a controlled substance in Wood County Circuit Court.
Mandrell is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 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 efforts of the Parkersburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.
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. 2:21-cr-231.
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