Gang Member/Rapper Sentenced to 6 Years on Federal Firearm Charge

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Daquan Tyreek Funchess-Johnson, 26, of Sumter, was sentenced to six years in federal prison after earlier pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Evidence presented to the court showed that in November 2019, officers with the Sumter Police Department were aware that Funchess-Johnson, a gang member and rapper who performed under the name “Lil Quan the CEO,” had outstanding warrants from Orangeburg County and was scheduled to perform at a local Sumter nightclub. Officers began surveillance and located Funchess-Johnson at approximately 3 a.m. outside a convenience store as he was headed back to his vehicle. Officers detained Funchess-Johnson on the outstanding warrants and located a loaded Ruger .45 caliber firearm concealed underneath his jacket in his vehicle.

The investigation showed that the firearm had previously been reported stolen from a gun store in 2017.  A ballistics analysis through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) linked the firearm to shell casings recovered from two separate shooting incidents in Sumter in July 2019.  Additionally, during the sentencing hearing, the court heard evidence that Funchess-Johnson, while in jail, recruited and paid a passenger in the vehicle to make a statement taking ownership of the firearm in an attempt to exonerate Funchess-Johnson.  His plan did not succeed.

Funchess-Johnson is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior felony convictions. He has prior state convictions for possession with intent to distribute marijuana,  possession of cocaine, cruelty to children, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and false information to police.  

United States District Judge Donald Coggins sentenced Funchess-Johnson to 72 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system. In imposing the sentence, the court noted that this was not Funchess-Johnson’s “first rodeo” since he had been convicted of unlawful carrying of a firearm twice before in state court.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). 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.

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 Sumter Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes prosecuted the case.

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