A federal court has recently sentenced a Braxton County lawyer to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Thomas Jason Drake, 48, of Gassaway has also been ordered to pay a $7,500 fine. Drake was convicted of being a felon and illegally possessing a firearm.
Court documents show that Drake, an attorney, confessed to having and pawning multiple firearms, including a Taurus Model G3C 9mm handgun, a Winchester Model Grand European XTR .257-caliber rifle, and a Colt Model Single Action .45-caliber revolver at Charleston businesses in 2021.
Federal law prohibits individuals with prior felony convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition. Court documents say Drake was aware of the restriction imposed resulting from his embezzlement conviction in 2012.
In addition, Drake falsified information on the ATF Form 4473 multiple times to purchase firearms and also certified falsely about his felony conviction status during these transactions. At the time of the offense, Drake was in the process of seeking reinstatement of his law license following his disbarment resulting from the embezzlement conviction. He was ultimately reinstated on January 6, 2022.
The United States Attorney Will Thompson commended the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department in this case.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the case, and Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Tessman, Gabriel Price, and Nowles Heinrich handled the prosecution.
