Columbia, South Carolina
Xavier Lee Gist, a 22-year-old man from Spartanburg, has entered a guilty plea in federal court on gun charges.
Gist was charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c), and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1).
According to the evidence presented at the change of plea hearing, on May 19, 2016, officers with the Spartanburg Police Department observed a silver Nissan Maxima with North Carolina tags fail to signal a left-hand turn.
Officers initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle failed to stop. Gist jumped from the vehicle and was apprehended after a brief foot chase. Officers found a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun on the passenger seat, as well as a silver whisk and a set of digital scales from the center console.
A total of 4.4 grams of cocaine base (crack) was located on the street where Gist jumped from the vehicle.
Gist faces up to ten years in federal prison for the offense and remains in federal custody.
The case was investigated by the Spartanburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Xavier Lee Gist was arrested federally as part of "Operation Real Time," a program aimed at identifying individuals with significant criminal histories who continue to actively possess firearms in the Upstate community.
Operation Real Time is a partnership between the Spartanburg Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Greenville Police Department, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the Anderson City Police Department, the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, the 13th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office.
Since August 2015, the initiative has resulted in the expedited federal prosecution of 97 defendants and the seizure of approximately 130 firearms and assorted ammunition from prohibited persons.
Related Federal Cases
- Xavier Lee Gist, Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking, South Carolina 2016 · North Carolina
- Gary Lee Joiner, Health Care Fraud, South Carolina 2011 · North Carolina
- Rodney Juan, Gun Indictment, South Carolina 2024 · North Carolina
- Gary Lee Joiner, Healthcare Fraud, South Carolina 2023 · North Carolina
- Warren Lamar Forrest, Gun and Pot Trafficking, South Carolina 2023 · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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