A loaded handgun, a dark bedroom, and a fugitive with a rap sheet that should’ve kept him far from firearms. Instead, Jamal Antwan Lewis, 30, of Myrtle Beach, was caught red-handed — and now he’s headed to federal prison for 262 months. A jury convicted him on May 3, 2016, of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a crime that slammed the door on any chance of leniency.
The trouble started the night of March 30, 2015, when Myrtle Beach Police Department (MBPD) officers stormed into an apartment complex on Cedar Street following a shooting call. Witnesses pointed straight at Lewis, saying they saw him brandishing a gun before vanishing into one of the units. Officers forced entry and found him hiding in an upstairs bedroom — right next to a loaded firearm. The apartment owner confirmed: Lewis brought the weapon inside.
Lewis wasn’t just some random guy with a gun. He was a convicted felon with a history that screamed danger: aggravated domestic violence, pointing and presenting a firearm, and distribution of a controlled substance. Federal law bars anyone with such convictions from owning or possessing a firearm. Yet there he was — caught in the act, with no legal leg to stand on.
After a hard-fought trial in federal court, the jury didn’t buy any defenses. Lewis was found guilty under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), the federal statute that keeps guns out of the hands of violent criminals. U.S. District Judge R. Bryan Harwell handed down the 262-month sentence — more than 21 years behind bars — followed by five years of supervised release.
The case was a joint takedown by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Myrtle Beach Police Department, part of the aggressive Project CeaseFire initiative. The program targets repeat offenders and felons caught with firearms, pushing for maximum federal penalties to stem gun violence.
Acting United States Attorney Beth Drake made it clear: breaking gun laws as a violent felon carries steep consequences. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor, who prosecuted the case from the Florence office, ensured Lewis wouldn’t walk. For Jamal Antwan Lewis, the price of that loaded gun? Two decades and change in federal prison.
Related Federal Cases
- Neko Andre Tisdale Gets 10 Years for Felon Firearm Possession · South Carolina
- Greenville Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm Possession · South Carolina
- Columbia Man Tavares Cromer Gets 40 Months for Gun Possession · South Carolina
- Richards Sentenced to 46 Months for Felon in Possession of Firearm · South Carolina
- Felony Firearm Possession Lands Lancaster Man Behind Bars · South Carolina
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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