Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Leroy Antonio Belin, 31, of Columbia, has been sentenced to over eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Evidence presented in court indicated that on July 6, 2023, following a traffic stop, officers from the Columbia Police Department found Belin in possession of a loaded firearm, ammunition, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, ecstasy, and oxycodone. The firearm was reported stolen from Charlotte, North Carolina. Due to prior felony convictions, Belin was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Belin's previous convictions include attempted murder, discharging firearms into a dwelling, common law robbery, strong arm robbery, and two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by an individual convicted of a violent felony.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger-Lewis sentenced Belin to 100 months' imprisonment followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which unites all levels of law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence. On May 26, 2021, the department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy within PSN focusing on fostering trust in communities, supporting community-based organizations for violence prevention, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Columbia Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore prosecuted it.
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