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Lancaster Woman Sentenced for Straw Purchase of a Firearm
Columbia, South Carolina – In a shocking turn of events, Lillie Mae Govea, a 26-year-old woman from Lancaster, South Carolina, has been sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for her involvement in a straw purchase of a firearm.
According to United States Attorney Beth Drake, Govea’s sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis of Columbia. The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, with Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon of the Columbia office prosecuting the case.
The evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on October 21, 2014, a Lancaster County deputy met with Govea about her pistol being stolen. Govea claimed that someone had stolen her pistol out of the trunk of her car, and that the only person who had been in the trunk of the car was her boyfriend.
However, during the investigation, it was discovered that Govea had agreed to purchase a pistol for her boyfriend’s friend, ‘Nick’. Nick had given Govea and her boyfriend money to make the purchase at a local gun store. Govea had indicated that during the drive to the gun store, her boyfriend was on the telephone asking for directions. When they arrived at the store, he showed her a picture of a specific pistol that had been previously advertised by the store.
However, the store did not have the pistol in stock, so they purchased a different pistol and ammunition instead. On the way back home, the boyfriend was talking to someone on the telephone and told them they would be returning shortly. When they returned, a black male that Govea did not know approached them, gave her additional money for the pistol and took the pistol out of the car.
The pistol was later found in the possession of a convicted felon during a search by another police jurisdiction. This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases.
Contact Person: William Witherspoon (803) 929-3000
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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