Camden Resident Enters Guilty Plea in Federal Court for Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Darrin Paul George, age 30, of Camden, South Carolina, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Columbia, to possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony, a violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(a)(1), 924(a)(2) and 924(e).  United States District Cameron McGowan Currie of Columbia accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence was presented at the change of plea hearing established that on July 2, 2017, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was operating a traffic safety check point in Bishopville when Deputies saw George throw something out of his car as he approached the checkpoint. Further investigation revealed that George had thrown a loaded pistol out of his car. George is prohibited from possessing firearms because he was convict for Armed Robbery in 2008 and Distribution of Cocaine in 2010 and 2011.

U.S. Attorney Lydon stated the maximum penalty for Felon in Possession of a Firearm is imprisonment for a minimum of 15 years up to life imprisonment, supervised release of 5 years and/or a fine of $250,000.

This case was investigated by Agents of the Lee County Sherriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001. Assistant United States Attorney William E Day, II of the Columbia is prosecuting the case.

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