Columbia, South Carolina — Daniel Allen Shannon, 43, an inmate in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, was sentenced to life in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. The court also held Shannon responsible for his role in orchestrating the 2019 murder of a Kershaw man as a part of this conspiracy.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Shannon used contraband cellphones to coordinate the distribution of large quantities of methamphetamine throughout Lancaster and Kershaw counties. After coming to believe that one of his drug couriers had been robbed, Shannon sent his associates to retaliate, and a Kershaw man was shot and killed in September of 2019. Shannon then ordered his co-conspirators to burn the residence where the murder occurred and dispose of the victim, whose body was discovered discarded alongside a highway in Westville, South Carolina.
Prosecutors presented evidence that, in addition to the drug trafficking and violence described above, showed Shannon also engaged in a “sextortion” scheme while incarcerated.
“This case illustrates the extreme danger posed by the presence of contraband cellphones in our prisons,” said United States Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “We will not sit by as inmates use these phones to perpetrate violence, drug trafficking, sex crimes, and fraud, and will work with our federal and state partners to vigorously prosecute these offenders and protect the public.”
Shannon was initially indicted on federal charges in February of 2022 and pleaded guilty in February of 2023. At the time of his offense, Shannon was already serving a life sentence in the South Carolina Department of Corrections for the 2001 kidnapping, robbery, and murder of a Lexington restaurant manager.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Shannon to life in prison and recommended that he be incarcerated in one of two select high-security facilities within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Shannon will be transferred to federal prison only if and when he is ever released from custody in SCDC. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Schoen and Ben Garner prosecuted the case.
The defendant, Daniel Allen Shannon, REAL full name, was sentenced to life in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and orchestrating a 2019 murder. The exact criminal charges against the defendant are conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The crime occurred in Columbia, South Carolina. The exact date of the crime was 2019. The sentence or outcome was life in prison. The case was investigated by multiple agencies and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Schoen and Ben Garner.
Related Federal Cases
- Lazarus Floyd, Multiple Drug Trafficking and Firearm Offenses, South Carolina 2023 · South Carolina
- Alouis Levorge Taylor, Gun and Drug Offenses, South Carolina 2021 · Connecticut
- Daniel Harrison Wallace, Narcotics & Firearms Crimes, South Carolina 2020 · Arkansas
- Thomas Lashort Bullock, Gun and Drug Crimes, South Carolina 2021 · South Carolina
- Shannon White, Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death, North Carolina 2023 · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug Trafficking|Violent CrimeDrug Trafficking|Violent CrimeDrug Trafficking|Violent CrimeDrug Trafficking|Violent Crime