Lexington Meth Dealer Donohue Gets 10 Years

COLUMBIA, SC – John Francis Donohue, 40, of Lexington, South Carolina, will spend the next decade in federal prison following a sentencing today for a litany of offenses, including being a felon in possession of firearms and distributing methamphetamine. The case, a joint effort between federal and local law enforcement, highlights the ongoing battle against violent crime and drug trafficking in the Palmetto State.

According to evidence presented in court, deputies with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and agents from the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services moved in on Donohue June 5, 2018, acting on outstanding warrants. The search of his Lexington County residence revealed not just Donohue, but three firearms and assorted ammunition. Donohue, already on state probation, readily admitted ownership of the weapons – a clear violation of his supervised release.

But the firearms weren’t the extent of Donohue’s criminal activity. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Lexington County deputies were simultaneously investigating Donohue for drug trafficking. The investigation culminated January 22, 2019, when Donohue distributed methamphetamine to an undercover agent and confidential informant – while armed with a firearm. This wasn’t an isolated incident; authorities documented multiple instances of Donohue carrying a weapon during his drug deals, and even selling firearms to his illicit contacts.

Donohue’s criminal history is a testament to a pattern of disregard for the law. Court records show he was convicted of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine in Lexington County in April 2013, receiving a seven-and-a-half-year suspended sentence contingent on two years of probation. He promptly violated that probation, being arrested for shoplifting just one month later. The cycle continued: a 2015 arrest for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine resulted in a 15-year suspended sentence, followed by a 2016 conviction for distribution of methamphetamine and a 25-year suspended sentence. He was on probation from that last conviction when authorities arrested him in June 2018, finding the firearms.

United States District Judge Mary G. Lewis handed down the 120-month (10-year) sentence today, followed by a six-year term of court-ordered supervision. Crucially, Donohue will not be eligible for parole in the federal system. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Casey Rankin Smith of the 11th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office and Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office, as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a Department of Justice program focused on reducing violent crime through targeted enforcement and community partnerships.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. This sentencing serves as a stark reminder that those who endanger our communities with firearms and narcotics will face the full weight of the law. The Department of Justice is currently celebrating its 150th anniversary; more information can be found at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.