Columbia Man Pleads to Federal Firearm Charges

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Cedric K. Reddick, age 24, of Columbia, plead guilty in federal court to conspiracy to steal firearms from a federal firearms licensee and to being a felon in possession of a firearm, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371, 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). United States District Judge Michelle Childs, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented in court established on August 5, 2016, Tony’s Guns and Police Supplies, a federal firearms licensee, in Sumter, was burglarized and 69 handguns stolen. The investigation revealed similarities between that burglary and other burglaries of liquor stores in several counties. Through the investigation, law enforcement was able to identify Reddick as one of the suspects after a DNA match linked him to a burglary of one of the liquor stores. Additionally, a search warrant at Reddick’s apartment revealed a 9mm handgun stolen during the burglary of Tony’s Guns and Police Supplies. Reddick’s co-defendant’s case is still pending in federal court and he remains innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.

Reddick is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms based upon a prior state conviction for burglary 2nd degree and a prior New Jersey federal conviction for transportation of stolen firearms. At the time of this incident, Reddick was on federal supervised release after serving time on the 2013 federal conviction.  

Reddick faces a maximum of 5 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge. On the felon in possession of a firearm charge, Reddick faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the Clinton Police Department, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department 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.

Project Ceasefire is South Carolina’s continued application of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

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