BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — A Beckley man pleaded guilty to a federal gun crime.

29-year-old Quantel O. Saunders, of Beckley, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court statements and documents, on September 19, 2022, law enforcement officers saw Saunders with a gun tucked in the front of his waistband outside of a service station on the 200 block of North Eisenhower Drive in Beckley. Officers stopped Saunders as he was getting into his car and found a handgun in the driver’s side floorboard. Saunders admitted to officers that he possessed the gun.

Federal law prevents people with prior felony convictions from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Saunders knew that he was not able to have a gun in his possession due to previous felony convictions for possession of a firearm by a prohibited carrier and three counts of wanton endangerment with a firearm in Raleigh County Circuit Court on August 3, 2015.

Saunders’ sentencing is scheduled for March 8, 2024, and he faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the Beckley Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for their work on the investigation.