South Carolina Man Sentenced to 92 Months for Trafficking Firearms

Torell Brown, a 49-year-old convicted felon from Orangeburg, South Carolina, has been sentenced to 92 months in prison for conspiring to traffic and unlawfully sell firearms and for possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Brown pleaded guilty to Counts Three, Four, and Five of a superseding indictment that charged him with conspiracy to unlawfully sell firearms, possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and conspiracy to traffic firearms. U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton imposed the sentence in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, from April 2021 through May 18, 2021, Brown conspired to unlawfully sell firearms to at least one New Jersey resident. He trafficked six firearms and a large quantity of ammunition from South Carolina to New Jersey.

Additionally, from March 2021 through May 18, 2021, Brown conspired to traffic firearms and ammunition into New Jersey, for use in connection with at least one other felony offense. Brown’s actions demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law and a willingness to put innocent lives at risk.

The investigation that led to Brown’s arrest was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and is part of the Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in Newark. The OCDETF program aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger credited special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, and special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ross A. Marchetti, with the investigations leading to the charges.

Brown was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francesca Liquori, Samantha Fasanello, and Olta Bejleri. This case is a prime example of the ongoing efforts to combat violent crime and weapons trafficking in the region.