Columbia, South Carolina – Angela Marie Gantt, age 37, of Lexington, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Senior United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten of Columbia imposed the sentence. After her release from prison, Gantt will remain under court-ordered supervision for an additional 3 years. There is no parole in the federal system.
Evidence presented in court established that on June 29, 2020, an officer with the South Congaree Police Department responded to an accident in South Congaree where it was reported that a driver, later identified as Gantt, had struck a tree on private property and was attempting to leave the scene. The officer made contact with Gantt and learned she was driving under suspension. A K-9 Officer responded to the scene, and the K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics in the car. A search of the car recovered approximately 118 grams of methamphetamine and a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol.
Federal law prohibits Gantt from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon multiple prior state convictions. Gantt’s prior state record includes possession of methamphetamine in 2006, manufacturing methamphetamine in 2007, possession of methamphetamine in 2010, conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine in 2012, and possession of methamphetamine in 2014 and 2015.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, South Congaree Police Department, and Pine Ridge Police Department. It was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local 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. Special Assistant United States Attorney Casey Rankin Smith of the 11th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office prosecuted the case.
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