Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Peggy Shelton McCarson, age 57, of Greenville, South Carolina, was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). Senior United States District Henry M. Herlong, Jr. of Greenville sentenced McCarson on June 13, 2018.
At an earlier guilty plea hearing, Assistant U. S. Attorney Jeanne Howard, established that on Jan. 25, 2017, McCarson was a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation. After receiving consent to search the car, officers located a Smith and Wesson 9 mm handgun and 2 magazines with 32 rounds of ammunition on the floorboard of the passenger seat where McCarson had been seated. Also on the passenger floorboard was a box containing 2 plastic baggies with methamphetamine, marijuana and a set of digital scales. McCarson admitted the gun and drugs belonged to her. Shortly thereafter a search warrant was executed at McCarson’s residence in Travelers Rest where officers found another firearm, ammunition and additional methamphetamine.
Because of her prior criminal history, including six felony convictions for armed robbery, McCarson is considered an armed career criminal and is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The case was investigated by agents of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Highway Patrol and ATF and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Jeanne Howard of the Greenville office handled the case. ##
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
