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Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Ammunition Charge

William Curtis Atwell faces up to 15 years in prison following a guilty plea in federal court.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 18, 2026, 5:30 p.m. ET
William Curtis Atwell, 52, of Charleston, West Virginia, guilty on August 18, 2026, to possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, according to records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. The case remains open and developing as sentencing is pending. According to official court records in Case No. , Atwell possessed three Winchester .410-gauge shotgun shells in Charleston on January 23, 2026. He was prohibited from possessing ammunition or firearms due to a prior felony conviction for wanton endangerment in Kanawha County Circuit Court on July 10, 2017. Court documents state Atwell admitted selling the ammunition and a firearm assembled using a 10.75-inch metal pipe to a confidential informant, demonstrating how to fire it behind a business on Charleston's West Side, and selling the informant an explosive pipe bomb. United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the guilty plea, which was entered in a hearing presided over by United States District Judge Irene C. Berger. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case. Atwell is scheduled for sentencing on January 13, 2027, where he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

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  1. Version 118 Aug 2026, 21:30current

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