Orangeburg Man Charged with Robbery, Pointing a Firearm at an FBI Source

CHARLESTON, S.C. – A brazen crime unfolded in St. George, South Carolina, where a 26-year-old Orangeburg man allegedly robbed and pointed a firearm at an FBI confidential source.

According to the allegations, Demondre Laquari Wright, 26, of Orangeburg, was involved in a gun buy operation set up by the FBI in early March. Wright was supposed to sell three firearms, including one equipped with a machine gun conversion device, to the confidential source.

During the transaction inside the source’s vehicle, Wright allowed the source to examine the only gun he brought with him. While examining the gun, the source discovered that the gun was loaded and proceeded to empty the magazine. Wright then took the gun, reloaded it, and pointed it at the source’s chest and head.

Wright demanded that the source give him all the money, to which the source complied and handed over $4,000 in FBI buy money. Wright then exited the source’s vehicle and returned to his car, where FBI agents apprehended him after a brief chase.

The indictment alleges that on March 3, 2026, Wright robbed the source of money and put the source’s life in jeopardy by using a firearm. The indictment further alleges that Wright brandished a firearm in furtherance of the crime of violence and unlawfully possessed ammunition.

A federal grand jury in Florence returned a three-count indictment charging Wright with robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and felon in possession of ammunition. Wright was prohibited from possessing ammunition under federal law due to his prior felony convictions of assault and battery first degree and discharging firearms into a dwelling.

Wright faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Wright is currently detained. The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kim Hamlett and Cole Shannon are prosecuting the case.

Wright is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of firearm-related crimes and the importance of law enforcement’s efforts to combat them.

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