Top Stories

Hanahan Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition

Pictured: Justin Hannah

HANAHAN, S.C.–United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon recently announced that Justin Michael Hannah, 38, of Hanahan, South Carolina has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Charleston, to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).

United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel of Charleston accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the pre-sentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on August 21, 2017, police officers responding to a 911 call regarding suspicious behavior at a North Charleston gas station discovered two firearms in a vehicle operated by Hannah. At the time of his arrest, Hannah had one or more felony convictions. North Charleston Police believe that they may have interrupted preparations for a robbery.

Ms. Lydon stated the maximum penalty for felon in possession of firearms and ammunition is imprisonment for 10 years and/or a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and officers of the North Charleston Police Department.

The case 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 Chris Schoen of the Charleston office is prosecuting the case.

Comments are closed.