Two men from Portsmouth have received prison sentences for their involvement in federal firearms offenses. Court records show that between June and September 2024, law enforcement carried out six controlled purchases of firearms and heroin from Rolondo Lavar Moody, age 45. On August 9, 2024, during one such transaction, Kievon Anthony Whitehurst, age 30, handed a rifle to Moody who then sold it.
Both men have prior felony convictions that legally prohibit them from possessing firearms or ammunition. Whitehurst’s previous convictions include reckless handling of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. Moody has been convicted before on charges such as possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, several counts of assault including assault and battery of a family member, attempted malicious wounding, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Moody pleaded guilty on April 8 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and trafficking in firearms. He was sentenced on September 4 to ten years in prison. Whitehurst pleaded guilty on July 29 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced today to two years and six months in prison.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc W. West from the Virginia Attorney General’s Office led the prosecution.
