Orangeburg Man Pleads to Federal Firearm Charge

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Keycon Deonte Keitt, age 32, of Orangeburg, South Carolina, pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Evidence presented in court showed that on March 5, 2018, Orangeburg Department of Public Safety (ODPS) deputies conducting a property check approached a vehicle in which Keitt was a passenger.  After Keitt was observed moving and reaching around the back seat of the vehicle, Keitt initially ignored several verbal commands from deputies.  Keitt was ordered out of the vehicle and deputies found a Taurus 9mm pistol on the rear seat near Keitt and within his reach.  After Keitt admitted to possession of the firearm, deputies found two magazines and 19 rounds of ammunition, including one loaded magazine matching the pistol strapped to the inside of Keitt’s right leg.

Federal law prohibits Keitt from possessing a firearm or ammunition based upon prior state convictions, including two convictions for Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature in a case that involved a shooting; Threatening the Life of a Public Employee; Criminal Domestic Violence; two convictions for Assault; Burglary; two convictions for Pointing and Presenting a Firearm; and various breaking and entering, possession of stolen property, and property crime convictions, among others.

Keitt faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of court-ordered supervision.  However, if the court determines enhanced penalties apply based on the Keitt’s prior criminal record, he may face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs of Columbia accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has received and reviewed a presentence report prepared by the United States Probation Office.

The charge against Keitt was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety.  The case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elliott B. Daniels of the Columbia office.

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