Columbia Man on Federal Supervised Release Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Firearm Possession

COLUMBIA, S.C. —Daisean Montez Skeeters, 30, of Columbia, has pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on July 17, 2024, Columbia Police Department officers responded to a domestic violence call at Skeeters’ home.  After arriving, police learned there might be firearms in the home. Because Skeeters was already on federal supervised release for a previous federal firearms conviction, agents also spoke to his U.S. Probation Officer, who said he was also advised of firearms in the home. Agents obtained a search warrant for the residence and located two firearms, including one loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition. Agents obtained a second search warrant for Skeeters’ DNA to compare to swabs taken from those firearms. DNA testing confirmed an extremely high probability that Skeeters’ DNA was present on one of the firearms.  Skeeters entered a guilty plea to possessing that firearm as a convicted felon.

Skeeters was already on federal supervised release following a previous conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and faces a separate penalty for violating the terms of that release.

According to a sentencing memorandum filed by the Government in his prior case (3:19-CR-992), Skeeters has a history of leading a street gang that was responsible for a substantial disruption of local communities to include through gun violence, organized drug distribution, and fraud schemes.

Skeeters faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment.  United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Skeeters after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia Police Department with forensic assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott B. Daniels and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Sanford are prosecuting the case.

###