CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – An Oak Hill man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for illegally possessing multiple firearms, including several stolen from a Fayette County pawn shop.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, Braden Robertson, 31, of Oak Hill, was sentenced Tuesday to three years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Court documents state that on July 6, 2024, Robertson possessed five firearms, including three Ruger revolvers, a Sar Arms 9mm pistol and an Excam .25-caliber pistol.
Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms or ammunition. Prosecutors said Robertson knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior Fayette County felony convictions for conspiracy to commit a felony and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance on July 30, 2018.
Authorities said four of the firearms found in Robertson’s possession had been stolen during a series of break-ins at a Fayette County pawn shop on July 4, 2024.
According to prosecutors, Jawuan Akil Watts and others broke into the business three times while it was closed, stealing 33 firearms, ammunition, coins and a gaming console. Investigators said Watts traded, sold or gave many of the stolen firearms to people in the Oak Hill area, including convicted felons.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the home of Lesley Scott Watkins on July 6, 2024, where they recovered three firearms, including two stolen from the pawn shop. Officials said 16 of the stolen firearms have not been recovered.
Watts, 32, of Oak Hill, was sentenced on Dec. 4, 2025, to eight years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Watkins, 51, of Oak Hill, was also sentenced that day to three years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on the same charge.
U.S. Attorney Moore Capito credited the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oak Hill Police Department for investigating the case.
Senior U.S. District Judge David A. Faber imposed Robertson’s sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Keith Randolph prosecuted the case.
Federal prosecutors said the case is part of Operation Take Back America, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative focused on combating violent crime, transnational criminal organizations and illegal immigration.
