Greenville County Man Sentenced for Straw Purchasing Firearms

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kelsey Antonio McCallum, 32, of Greenville, has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for straw purchasing guns that were bought in South Carolina and Georgia.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that between March 2018 and June 2022, McCallum bought 93 firearms in 52 separate purchases from firearm dealers in South Carolina and Georgia. McCallum would indicate on the federal firearms sale forms that he was the actual buyer of the firearms, knowing that he intended to sell them to others. McCallum would then transport these firearms to Maryland to sell them to other individuals. Some of the guns were later discovered at crime scenes in Maryland and in other states. McCallum was convicted by a federal jury in 2024 after a two-day trial.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced McCallum to 63 months imprisonment, to be followed by a one-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon prosecuted the case.

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