Frederick Julien Augustine, a/k/a “Cowboy,” Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Weapons Charges
Florence, South Carolina – United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Frederick Julien Augustine, a 42-year-old man from Mullins, South Carolina, has entered a mid-trial guilty plea to possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, more than 28 grams of crack cocaine, and quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana.
Augustine also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The 42-year-old man had previously been convicted of Assault and Battery with Intent to Kill, Distribution of Crack Cocaine, Burglary (2nd Degree), and Possession of a Weapon during a Crime of Violence.
Augustine’s plea subjects him to a statutory mandatory sentence of 180 months of incarceration.
The Government’s evidence showed that on October 26, 2017, officers of the Myrtle Beach Police Department Street Crimes Unit, assisted by a Task Force Officer of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), executed a search warrant on a Myrtle Beach apartment after observing Augustine leave alone.
Inside the apartment, officers located approximately 641 grams of cocaine, 49 grams of crack cocaine, 59 grams of heroin, and 27 grams of methamphetamine, all hidden with arm’s reach of a loaded .357 Magnum revolver and additional ammunition.
Officers additionally seized more than $11,000 in suspected drug proceeds hidden in a safe with more than ½ kilogram of cocaine, and downloaded several surveillance cameras that had been set up at the apartment.
ATF’s analysis of the cameras confirmed that Augustine was at the apartment for weeks leading up to the execution of the warrant, and that he was the last person the leave before the search was conducted.
Augustine was arrested on a traffic stop while the search warrant was being executed. He was in possession of $3,000 in additional suspected drug proceeds.
Assistant United States Attorney Everett McMillan of the Florence office handled the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Myrtle Beach Police Department and prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Operation “Real Time,” which seeks to fast track armed recidivists for federal prosecution.
Augustine has been in continuous custody since his arrest on October 26, 2017, and he will remain in custody until he serves out his federal sentence.
Augustine, Frederick Julien, a/k/a “Cowboy,” Pleaded Guilty to Federal Drug and Weapons Charges, Florence, South Carolina, October 26, 2017. He was sentenced to 180 months of incarceration.
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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