SC man had 60 guns but wasn’t allowed to have any, official says. Now he’s going to prison
A South Carolina man is going to prison after pleading guilty to gun and drug charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Christopher Miles Huntington, a 33-year-old Lugoff resident, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday in a news release.
Huntington, also known as “Crazy,” pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and distribution of methamphetamine, according to the release.
In 2023, from March through May, Huntington sold 37 guns to undercover agents ATF agents, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The guns included stolen weapons, short-barreled rifles, and firearms with high-capacity magazines, according to the release.
Huntington also sold more than 2,400 grams of meth to undercover agents, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
On June 29, 2023, Huntington was arrested and was in possession of 23 additional guns, according to the release.
Huntington is a felon and prohibited from possessing firearms, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Huntington has prior convictions for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, burglary, grand theft of motor vehicle, and safecracking, according to the release.
U.S. District Court Judge Sherri Lydon sentenced Huntington to 168 months in prison to be followed by a term of court-ordered supervision, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. There is no parole in the federal system.
In addition to the ATF, Huntington’s case was also investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the West Columbia Police Department, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elle Klein prosecuted the case, while records show Huntington was represented by Columbia attorney Mark Campbell McLawhorn.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office is handling the prosecution of additional defendants facing state charges related to this investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
In December 2023, Huntington was one of 20 people charged in federal court in connection with firearms-trafficking, narcotics, conspiracy, or other firearms offenses after a targeted violent crime reduction initiative in West Columbia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“This operation targeting gun and drug trafficking in South Carolina exemplifies the Justice Department’s partnership-centered, community-tailored strategy to combat violent crime,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said of the December arrests.
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This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 11:37 AM with the headline "SC man had 60 guns but wasn’t allowed to have any, official says. Now he’s going to prison."
