Nigel Michael Sandiford, Firearms and Ammunition Possession, SC 2024

COLUMBIA, SC – Nigel Michael Sandiford, 43, owner of the Montego Bay restaurant in Columbia, is facing serious time after admitting to federal agents he illegally possessed firearms and ammunition. Sandiford, who also goes by the aliases “Marvin H. Rogers” and “Cecil Price,” entered a guilty plea today before Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie.

The bust went down July 18, 2016, when federal agents raided Sandiford’s Parklane Road eatery. It wasn’t jerk chicken they were after. The search uncovered a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun, a Glock .45 caliber handgun, and a cache of ammunition – including high capacity magazines and rounds for 12 gauge, .40 caliber, .45 caliber, and 9mm weapons. Sandiford readily admitted ownership.

But here’s the kicker: Sandiford isn’t supposed to *have* guns. A prior Richland County drug conviction, served under the name “Marvin H. Rogers,” permanently bars him from possessing firearms under federal law. That earlier conviction centered on possession with intent to distribute cocaine, a detail that likely won’t earn him any leniency.

Now, Sandiford is looking at a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison, alongside a hefty $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Judge Currie will consider the presentence report, prepared by the U.S. Probation Office, before handing down the final sentence. This isn’t just about the guns; it’s about a convicted drug offender flouting the law and putting the public at risk.

Adding to Sandiford’s troubles, he’s a native of Trinidad and Tobago and is currently facing deportation proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spearheaded the investigation, working in conjunction with the joint federal, state, and local Project CeaseFire initiative – a program dedicated to aggressively prosecuting firearm-related offenses.

Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office is handling the prosecution. Contact Stacey D. Haynes at (803) 929-3000 for further information. This case serves as a stark reminder that possessing firearms while prohibited by federal law carries severe consequences, and authorities are actively cracking down on such offenses in Columbia and beyond.