Convicted Felon Is Sentenced To Prison For Reoffending While On Federal Supervised Release

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A previously convicted felon on federal supervised release was sentenced to prison today on drug and gun charges, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.  Charles Lee Farmer, 50, of Charlotte, was ordered to serve 46 months in prison followed by three years on supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, and possession of multiple firearms by a convicted felon.  Additionally, Farmer was ordered to serve a consecutive six-month prison term for violating conditions of his supervised release, for a total sentence of 52 months in prison.

According to court documents and court proceedings, Farmer was previously convicted in the Western District of North Carolina for a firearms offense. After serving an active prison term, Farmer was placed on court-ordered supervised release under the U.S. Probation Office. On November 20, 2021, federal probation officers conducted a warrantless search of Farmer’s residence, after they received information that Farmer was dealing narcotics. During the search, probation officers located cocaine and cocaine base, digital scales, and other drug paraphernalia, and seized multiple firearms and multiple rounds of ammunition.

Farmer remains in federal custody.  He will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Probation Office in the Western District of North Carolina for their investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Regina Pack of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.