North Augusta man sentenced to prison for drug trafficking

AUGUSTA, GA:  A South Carolina man with a substantial history of drug-trafficking convictions has been sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison.

Maurice Antwain Diggs, 43, of North Augusta, S.C., was sentenced to 151 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Heroin, and Marijuana, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Heroin, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Diggs to pay a $2,000 fine and to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Maurice Diggs’ long history of illegal activity is encapsulated in this case in which he was arrested on drug and gun charges while awaiting trial from a previous arrest for guns and drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “It is abundantly clear that he isn’t interested in obeying the law, so the community is safer with him behind bars.”

As described in court documents and proceedings, Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies searched an Augusta apartment occupied by Diggs in October 2019 and found large amounts of drugs and drug-use paraphernalia, along with several thousand dollars in cash and multiple firearms. Diggs was awaiting trial on state charges from that search when a subsequent search in October 2020 of his Augusta motel room found more drugs, guns and cash. Diggs later was indicted on federal charges related to both searches, and subsequently entered a guilty plea on two of the felony charges. 

“The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is committed to working with our federal partners in the prosecution of cases where subjects do not take advantage of opportunities of rehabilitation that are afforded to them when they make the choice to break the law,” said Sheriff Richard Roundtree. “We hope these prosecutions will be a deterrent to any subjects who are in Richmond County or travel to our county for the purpose of distributing illegal drugs. If you are discovered, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This case exemplifies our commitment to prevent drug violence and criminal activity from poisoning our communities,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “It also sends a clear message that we will relentlessly pursue and prosecute the leaders and members of these violent drug enterprises.”

The case was investigated by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer A. Stanley and Tara M. Lyons.