Orangeburg Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm Offense

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Pierre Desmond Morgan, 36, of Orangeburg, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

Evidence presented in court showed that agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives identified Morgan as an individual involved in trafficking firearms in the Orangeburg area. On April 24 and May 8, 2024, Morgan sold six firearms and ammunition to law enforcement. The firearms included weapons capable of accepting large-capacity magazines, as well as firearms without serial numbers. During these transactions, Morgan disclosed that he had access to additional firearms and switches—devices designed to convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic machine guns.

On Dec. 6, 2024, officers with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Morgan. During the stop, a drug-detecting K-9 alerted to the vehicle. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of a loaded firearm and distribution quantities of marijuana and methamphetamine.

Morgan has prior felony convictions and is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition. At the time of the offenses, Morgan was on federal supervised release for a prior firearm conviction.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Morgan to 120 months in prison, to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. Morgan was also sentenced to an additional 15 months’ imprisonment for violating the terms of his supervised release related to a 2017 firearm conviction. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore prosecuted the case.

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