Charleston, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Tyrus Cornell Goodwater, Jr., age 27, of North Charleston, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court for possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel, of Charleston, sentenced Goodwater to 60 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
Evidence presented to the court established that on February 20, 2017, officers of the Charleston Police Department stopped Goodwater for a traffic violation and observed marijuana in his vehicle. A search of Goodwater’s car uncovered distribution amounts of marijuana, plastic baggies, and digital scales. Officers also discovered three guns in the trunk of the car, including an AK-47 style weapon. Goodwater pled guilty to possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on August 20, 2018.
The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Schoen of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.
This case 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 crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001 that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Turning the tide of rising violent crime in America is a top priority for the Department of Justice, which has reinstituted PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy.
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