Roanoke Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Firearm Charges

ROANOKE, Va. — Julius Frederick Muse III, a 19-year-old resident of Roanoke, Virginia, pled guilty last week to several federal charges related to firearms and drug distribution, including the orchestration of a straw purchase and the sale of fentanyl pills and multiple firearms, one of which was a ‘ghost gun.’

Muse admitted to four counts of selling a firearm to another person, knowing or suspecting that the buyer was a convicted felon. Additionally, he pled guilty to two counts of distributing fentanyl, one count of aiding and abetting a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer, and one count of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

According to court documents, in December 2022, Muse arranged for another individual to purchase an AR-style pistol on his behalf, paying them with cash and marijuana. The individual made a false statement on ATF Form 4473 to facilitate the purchase. Later that month, Muse sold four pressed fentanyl pills and two firearms to a confidential informant. Eight days later, he sold the same informant 27 more pressed fentanyl pills and a Polymer 80 ‘ghost gun,’ which Muse claimed was “untraceable.”

Muse continued his illegal activities by selling four more firearms, including another AR-pattern pistol, to the informant, despite knowing or having reason to believe that the informant was a convicted felon, prohibited by law from possessing firearms.

In March 2023, federal agents executed a search warrant at Muse’s apartment, where they discovered a 9mm Hi-Point pistol with an obliterated serial number, among other items.

As part of his plea agreement, the prosecution and defense have agreed to recommend a sentencing range between 70 and 108 months, with the final sentence to be determined by the Court.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with support from Homeland Security Investigations. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Acting Special Agent in Charge James VanVliet of the ATF’s Washington Field Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee S. Brett is prosecuting the case.

Hand of a Person Holding Black Semi Automatic PistolPhoto byKarolina Kaboompics