Rondell Lakevis Waiters, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, South Carolina 2018

Columbia Man Faces 15 Years for Gun Charge

Columbia, SC – Rondell Lakevis Waiters, a 35-year-old man from Columbia, South Carolina, has pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Waiters pleaded guilty in federal court to violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1), which prohibits felons from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten accepted the guilty plea and will impose a sentence after reviewing the presentence report, prepared by the United States Probation Office.

Evidence presented in court showed that on April 11, 2018, deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department executed a lawful search warrant on a hotel room in Columbia after making an undercover buy of narcotics from that location.

During the execution of the search warrant, deputies encountered Waiters and recovered two firearms inside the hotel room. After being advised of his rights, Waiters admitted to possessing one of the firearms.

As a result of his prior state drug convictions, Waiters is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

Waiters faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release on the firearm charge. However, if he is deemed an armed career criminal based on his extensive prior record, he faces a statutory mandatory minimum 15 years imprisonment with a maximum of life, a fine of $250,000, and 5 years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state, and local initiative focused on aggressively prosecuting firearm cases to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer.

Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon handled the case.

Related Federal Cases