HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jotesa Ruth Porter, 33, of Kenova, pleaded guilty today to making false statements in the acquisition of firearms and disposing of firearms to a person convicted of a felony.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 30, 2020, Porter straw purchased four firearms at a Huntington pawn shop: a Rock Island M1-1911 FS, .45-caliber pistol; a Taurus 1911, .45-caliber pistol; an Anderson AM-15, multi-caliber rifle; and a Spikes ST-15, .300-caliber rifle. Porter admitted to lying on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 for the purchase. Porter falsely certified that she was the buyer of the firearms when she knew she was purchasing them for someone else.
Porter admitted that she provided the firearms to Corey Michael Perkins, 33, of Huntington. Perkins had picked out the firearms in advance, directed Porter to purchase them, provided her with the necessary money, and induced her to falsify the ATF form. Perkins knew he could not purchase the firearms himself because of his prior felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in Cabell County Circuit Court on January 10, 2013. Perkins was sentenced to three years and one month in prison for aiding and abetting the illegal straw purchase of firearms on August 22, 2022.
Porter is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 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 ATF and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Cremeans 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. 3:22-cr-55.
###