COLUMBIA, S.C. – A Columbia man is headed to the slammer for 14 long years after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and distribution of methamphetamine.
The defendant, 33-year-old Christopher Miles Huntington of Lugoff, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison by United States District Court Judge Sherri Lydon. The prison term will be followed by a term of court-ordered supervision, but there is no parole in the federal system.
The evidence against Huntington was clear: on multiple occasions in March through May 2023, he sold 37 firearms, including stolen weapons, short-barreled rifles, and firearms with high-capacity magazines to undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). He also sold more than 2,400 grams of methamphetamine to undercover agents during these transactions.
On June 29, 2023, Huntington was arrested with 23 additional firearms. As a felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms. Huntington has prior convictions for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, burglary, grand theft of motor vehicle, and safecracking.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), West Columbia Police Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and Richland County Sheriff’s Department. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office is handling the prosecution of additional defendants facing state charges related to this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elle E. Klein prosecuted the case.
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Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons|Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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