Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm While out on Parole

CLEVELAND - A 46-year-old man has been sentenced to prison for committing a firearm violation while he was out on parole for a separate, but similar, offense.

John Ward, of Maple Heights, Ohio, has been sentenced to 129 months (10.75 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams, after pleading guilty in December 2025 to being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.

According to court documents, in August 2025, law enforcement was conducting a liquor law compliance inspection at a bar in Cleveland when they observed several individuals consuming alcohol outside the establishment. As they approached the group, one man, later identified as Ward, moved away toward a vehicle. Officers then heard a hard object hit the ground. The object recovered near the vehicle was found to be an FN, Model 509, 9mm caliber pistol, loaded with 17 rounds in a 24-round magazine. Agents noted that Ward appeared highly intoxicated and was taken into custody. The investigation further revealed that Ward had previous convictions for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition in 2022, and for Aggravated Robbery in 2010.

This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie A. Wojtasik and Scott C. Zarzycki for the Northern District of Ohio led the prosecution.