Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gregory D'Arquaes Zander, 35, of Charleston, was sentenced today to nine years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Zander admitted to possessing six firearms found by law enforcement officers during March 11, 2024, traffic stops of two vehicles on Interstate 77 North near the Kanawha County-Jackson County line. Zander was a passenger in one of the vehicles and the other vehicle was a blue pickup truck. Officers found a rifle case in the blue truck containing the six firearms: a Smith & Wesson model M&P 10mm M2.0 10mm pistol, a Springfield Armory model DS Prodigy 9mm pistol, a Smith & Wesson model M&P 9 9mm pistol, a Kimber model Rose Gold Ultra II .45-caliber ACP pistol, a Glock model 17 Gen 4 9mm pistol, and a CMMG model MK4 5.78x28mm pistol.

Officers also found a wallet in the blue truck containing Zander's state identification card and birth certificate and receipts for the purchase of two of the firearms. The receipts listed the driver of the blue truck as the purchaser. The driver told investigators that he purchased multiple firearms for Zander, who selected which firearms to buy and provided the money for each purchase, and transported the firearms to one of two adjacent apartments rented by Zander in Charleston. The driver also admitted that just before the traffic stops, Zander directed him to load the rifle case containing the six firearms from one of those apartments into the blue truck and paid him to drive the blue truck to Michigan.

Officers searched Zander's apartments following the traffic stops and found three additional firearms, ammunition, magazines, over 200 grams of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia including a digital scale and vacuum sealed bags. Officers also found packaging for four of the firearms seized from the blue truck and the receipt of the purchase of one of those firearms.

Investigators established that Zander had accompanied the driver during the purchase of four of the seized firearms, and wore one of the firearms on his ankle during a purchase. Investigators also found that Zander had fired one of the firearms at a public outdoor shooting range and purchased nearly $4,000 worth of firearms accessories around the time of the firearm purchases. Zander was responsible for at least 13 illegally possessed firearms based on facts learned during the investigation.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Zander knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, methamphetamine, in Kanawha County Circuit Court on September 22, 2021.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted 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 results.

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. 2:24-cr-55.

###