Orangeburg County Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Gun

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Kamari Johnson, 26, of Orangeburg, has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety believed that Johnson was selling cocaine in the area. On May 13, 2024, law enforcement used a confidential informant to arrange the purchase of a firearm and cocaine from Johnson. Johnson agreed and sold the informant a gun and a small amount of cocaine.

Johnson was prohibited from possessing the firearm based upon prior convictions for burglary and pointing and presenting a firearm.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Johnson to 57 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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

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