Hanahan Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Gun Crime

Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Justin Michael Hannah, age 39, of Hanahan, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court in Charleston, South Carolina, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).  United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel, of Charleston, sentenced Hannah to forty-one months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release with 24 months of electronic monitoring and home confinement.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on August 21, 2017, police officers responding to a 911 call regarding suspicious behavior at a North Charleston gas station, discovered two firearms in a vehicle operated by Hannah. Hannah had prior felony convictions, and North Charleston Police believe that they may have foiled a robbery.

The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and officers of the North Charleston Police Department 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 Chris Schoen of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.

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