Travis Lamond Simpson, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, South Carolina 2022

Greenville, South Carolina – A Greenville man has been sentenced to 70 months imprisonment for possession of a firearm, a crime he has been convicted of before. Travis Lamond Simpson, 36, of Greenville, was sentenced in federal court to 70 months imprisonment with 3 years of supervised release to follow.

Simpson previously pled guilty to felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain imposed the sentence.

The evidence presented in court established that on September 21, 2017, an officer with the Greenville Police Department was patrolling the area of 207 Shaw Street near Rutherford Road and Pete Hollis Boulevard, when the officer detected the odor of marijuana emanating from several individuals loitering on the sidewalk.

After stopping to investigate, Simpson told the officer that he had a small amount of cocaine base in his pocket. Other officers soon arrived, and Simpson was arrested without incident on the state charge of possession of cocaine base.

While clearing the area, the officers then located a loaded Phoenix Arms .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol in Simpson’s nearby vicinity. Simpson initially denied ownership of the pistol; however, diligent investigative work days later uncovered jail phone calls between Simpson and a third party, in which Simpson indicated ownership of the firearm.

Simpson is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon prior state and federal convictions. Simpson has prior state convictions for possession of cocaine base (2002) and breaking into a motor vehicle (two counts, 2003).

Simpson also has a prior federal conviction for use or carry of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime (2006). The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Greenville Police Department and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire – a joint federal, state, and local initiative focused on aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.

Simpson was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment, the maximum under federal sentencing guidelines, for possession of a firearm he is not allowed to have. This case is a prime example of how the justice system holds accountable those who break the law, especially those who have been convicted before.

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