Lancaster County Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Straw Purchase a Firearm

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Adam Tyler Shrader, age 22, of Lancaster, South Carolina has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Columbia to conspiracy to straw purchase a firearm, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis of Columbia accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report that will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on October 21, 2014, a Lancaster County deputy met with Lillie Mae Govea about her pistol being stolen.  According to Govea, someone had stolen her pistol out of the trunk of her car.  She indicated that the only person who had been in the trunk of the car was her boyfriend, Adam Tyler Shrader.  

The officer then contacted Shrader who told the officer that a friend of his named "Nick" had asked Govea to purchase a pistol for him.  Nick gave Govea and Shrader the money and told them to make the purchase at a named local gun store.  Govea and Shrader agreed.  

Govea indicated that during the entire drive to the gun store, Shrader was on the telephone asking for directions.  When they got to the store, Shrader showed her a picture of a specific pistol that had been previously advertised by the store.  However, the store did not have the pistol in stock so they purchased a different pistol and ammunition instead. 

On the way back home, Shrader was talking to someone on the telephone and told him they would be returning shortly.  When they returned, a black male that Govea did not know approached them, gave her additional money for the pistol and took the pistol out of the car.  Shrader told Govea to wait three (3) days to report the pistol stolen in case Nick did something "bad" with it.  Govea waited less than one (1) day to report the pistol stolen.  The pistol was later found in the possession of a convicted felon during a search by another police jurisdiction.  Govea  pled guilty and was recently sentenced on the same charge.    

Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty for this offense is imprisonment for 5 years and a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases.

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