Charleston, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Ronreguss Santez Grant, 35, of North Charleston, South Carolina, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on Nov. 21, 2017, North Charleston Police conducted a traffic stop, smelled marijuana, and searched Grant and his vehicle. In addition to finding a small amount of marijuana on Grant’s person, officers discovered a 9mm pistol that had previously been reported stolen in the vehicle he was driving. Federal law prohibits Grant from possessing firearms and ammunition because of his numerous prior felony convictions, including convictions for strong arm robbery, unlawful carrying of a pistol, and multiple convictions for possession of narcotics.
United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel accepted Grant’s guilty plea and sentenced him to 40 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the North Charleston Police Department. It was 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.
The Department of Justice 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, the Attorney General 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 Chris Schoen of the Charleston office prosecuted the case. ##
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
