Serial Domestic Violence Abuser Pleads Guilty in Federal Court

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Dennis Gerald Robinson, 55, of Camden, South Carolina, pled guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of firearms, including a .22 caliber rifle and 20 gauge shotgun.

Robinson admitted that he engaged in a domestic violence dispute in May 2018, which ended with his victim fleeing the residence and Robinson firing his shotgun. Because Robinson is a convicted felon, federal law prohibits him from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Robinson has previously been convicted of criminal domestic violence in the first degree; criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature; criminal domestic violence in the second degree; criminal domestic violence in the third degree; criminal sexual conduct with a minor; and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. According to court documents, Robinson’s prior domestic violence incidents involved a repeat victim, the repeated use of violence, and a return to the victim.

Robinson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Robinson after receiving and reviewing a presentencing report prepared by the United States Probation Office.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department and is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001. Assistant United States Attorney Alyssa Leigh Richardson of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case.

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