Joshua Allen Sandy

Introduction

Joshua Allen Sandy, 43, of Weston, West Virginia, was sentenced on 13 November 2026 to 72 months in federal prison — six years — for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a prohibited person . The sentence was announced by US Attorney Matthew L. Harvey of the Northern District of West Virginia, and Chief US District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided .

Background Information

Sandy has a prior drug conviction, which prohibits him from having firearms under federal law . In April 2024, law enforcement officers responded to a domestic incident at Sandy’s residence; during the investigation, officers located a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition in Sandy’s bedroom .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Sentenced to six years in federal prison for firearm possession by a prohibited person.

The shotgun that sent Sandy to federal prison was found not at a gun range or a dealer but in his own bedroom, where officers responding to a domestic incident discovered it alongside ammunition in April 2024 . As a person previously convicted of a drug felony, Sandy was barred from possessing any firearm or ammunition, and the federal charge flowed directly from that prohibited possession . Chief Judge Kleeh imposed the 72-month term in November 2026, more than two and a half years after the shotgun was found .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The sentence was announced by US Attorney Harvey’s office, which credited Assistant US Attorney Stephen Warner with prosecuting the case . The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the West Virginia State Police, and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office . The office framed the prosecution as part of Operation Take Back America, the Justice Department initiative targeting violent crime .

Current Status

Sandy is serving his 72-month federal sentence imposed by Chief Judge Kleeh . The possession case is closed with the conviction and sentence; the domestic incident that exposed the shotgun was the trigger for the federal firearms investigation .

Impact on Their Career/Life

A single shotgun in a bedroom cost Sandy six years of his life in federal prison: the April 2024 domestic-incident response turned a prohibited possessor with a prior drug conviction into a sentenced federal firearms offender . At 43, he will leave federal custody in middle age, and the conviction adds a federal firearms record to the prior that made the possession illegal in the first place .

Sources

• “Lewis County Man Sentenced for Violent Crime Offense” — US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of West Virginia / justice.gov, November 2026: source