Richmond man sentenced to 12 years for possessing firearms as a convicted felon

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond convicted felon was sentenced to 12 years in prison yesterday after authorities recovered two guns and narcotics in his possession last year.

Per a release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), officers searched the residence of 38-year-old Javon Antonio Poag on Sept. 6, 2024. They found 82.52 grams of cocaine, 8.41 grams of fentanyl, five bags of pills containing 34.85 grams of methamphetamine, two handguns, a loaded high-capacity drum magazine and $7,604.

At the time, Poag had previously been convicted of multiple crimes, including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, domestic violence, distribution of cocaine, robbery and resisting arrest. He cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition as a convicted felon, per the DOJ.

The DOJ announced on Tuesday that Poag was sentenced on Monday, Dec. 15, to 12 years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms.

“Javon Poag has persistently returned to crime despite a multitude of opportunities to reform,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Today’s sentence makes clear that recidivist criminal conduct will not be tolerated."

Per the release, Poag also possessed an amount of fentanyl equating to 433 lethal doses.