Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Columbia Man Sentenced to Over 15 Years on Firearm and Ammunition Charge
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Charles Tarron Carter, age 28, of Columbia, South Carolina was sentenced today in federal court to 188 months (15.8 years) imprisonment, which will be followed by five (5) years of supervised release. The sentence stemmed from Carter’s earlier guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(e). Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie imposed the sentence.
Evidence presented at the earlier change of plea hearing established that on the afternoon of June 29, 2011, officers with the Columbia Police Department responded to a burglary alarm at a residence on Muller Avenue. Officers found a door to the residence, as well as a door to an apartment in the back of the residence, ajar. While checking for intruders, officers noticed crack cocaine and a Smith & Wesson .45 caliber handgun in plain view, along with items belonging to Carter, who utilized the rear apartment.
The investigation revealed that Carter is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and/or ammunition based upon his prior state convictions. Carter has previously been convicted in state court for burglary 2nd degree of a dwelling (2 separate convictions) and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine (2 separate convictions). The court determined that Carter was an armed career criminal subject to enhanced penalties on the firearm charge in light of his prior state convictions for violent felonies and serious drug offenses.
The case was investigated by the Columbia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.
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