Camden Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm

Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Tarkim Shavell Melendez, 30, of Camden, South Carolina, was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence presented to the court showed that when a Bishopville City Police officer conducted a traffic stop in Bishopville on February 8, 2018, he recognized the passenger, Melendez, because Melendez had outstanding arrest warrants. When Melendez was arrested he was carrying a stolen, loaded 9mm pistol. Federal law prohibits him from owning or possessing a firearm or ammunition due to previous felony convictions.

Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., sentenced Melendez to 46 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by the Bishopville City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and 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 crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001 that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Turning the tide of rising violent crime in America is a top priority for the Department of Justice, which has reinstituted PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy.  Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II, of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

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