Columbia Man Pleads to Federal Firearm and Drug Charges

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Dakota F. Brown, 36, of Columbia, pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and to possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and amphetamine.  

Evidence presented to the court showed that on January 4, 2021, a Richland County Sheriff’s Department deputy stopped Brown’s vehicle. Brown exited the vehicle and removed a fanny pack from across his chest, laying it in the driver’s seat before walking back to talk to the deputy. The deputies smelled marijuana and searched the vehicle. The search revealed a loaded 9mm firearm, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and amphetamine within the fanny pack. Brown admitted that the items were his and that he had bought the gun off the street in December. 

A ballistics analysis through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) linked the firearm to shell casings recovered from December 2020 shooting in Richland County. Local authorities have arrested another individual for that shooting and have no evidence linking Brown to the incident. NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

Brown, who has been in custody since his January 2021 arrest, is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior felony state convictions, which include strong arm robbery, possession of crack cocaine, criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.  Additionally, at the time of this incident, Brown was on federal supervised release after serving a 108 months sentence from a 2011 federal felon in possession of a firearm conviction. As a result of the January 4, 2021, arrest, Brown’s term of federal supervised release was revoked and he was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, which is separate from the sentence he will receive as a result of his guilty plea to these current charges.

Brown faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 on the firearm/ammunition charge and a maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment and a fine of $2,000,000 on the drug charge. After service of the term of imprisonment, Brown will also face a term of supervised release of up to six years.  United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Brown after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the United States Probation Office.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes is prosecuting the case.

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