Florence Man Sentenced to More than Four Years in Federal Prison on Gun Charge

Florence, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that Brandon Paul Wallace, 33, of Florence, was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on June 19, 2018, agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division as well as an officer from the Florence Police Department arrested Wallace on an outstanding arrest warrant at a residence in Marion. Following Wallace’s arrest, law enforcement searched the area where Wallace was arrested and located two loaded firearms. Federal law prohibits Wallace from possessing firearms and ammunition because of his prior felony convictions for voluntary manslaughter, possession of a stolen vehicle, and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.

United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins, Jr. sentenced Wallace to 52 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Florence Police Department, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

The case was prosecuted as part of the 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.

Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel prosecuted the case.

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