911 Call for Domestic Violence Results in 57 Months Federal Prison Sentence for Sumter Man

Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Lorenzo Keith Goins, age 27, of Sumter, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.  Senior United States District Judge Margaret B. Seymour, of Charleston, sentenced Goodwater to 57 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Evidence presented during Goins’ guilty plea and sentencing hearing established that on October 20, 2017, the victim’s 19-year-old son called 911 and stated that Goins was threatening his mother with a handgun.  Officers with the Sumter Police Department responded and encountered Goins, who was in possession of a .45 caliber Springfield Armory handgun and over 20 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition.  Witnesses to the incident advised the officers that Goins grabbed the female victim by the throat and threw her up against her car.  The victim’s 19-year-old son then attempted to engage Goins.  Goins then displayed the firearm in his waistband and told the son, “You lucky I don’t pull it out on you.”

During the sentencing hearing, the transporting officer’s in-car video was played for the Judge.  Goins was captured on the video becoming visibly irate with the transporting officer, making numerous threats to hurt the officer and his colleagues.  Federal law prohibits Goins from possessing a firearm or ammunition based on his criminal record, which includes convictions for grand larceny, possession of crack cocaine, possession of marijuana, and receiving stolen goods.  After his arrest, Goins made contact with the victim several times over the phone, attempting to get her to withdraw her statements to law enforcement about the assault.

The Court sentenced Goins to 57 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years supervised release with a special condition that he receive anger management treatment.  This sentence was at the top of the advisory sentencing guideline range and was enhanced for his possession and use of the firearm during and in relation to the domestic violence incident.

The case was investigated by the Sumter Police Department and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  Assistant United States Attorney JD Rowell of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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