United States of America v. Sean Deandre Martin

Charleston, SC - The United States of America cahrged Sean Deandre Martin, age 33, with felony possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.



Evidence presented to the court showed that on August 1, 2017, Martin was arrested after a gun and multiple types of narcotics were discovered in the car he was driving on Savannah Highway in West Ashley. Text messages on Martin’s cell phone confirmed that he was dealing drugs. Martin ultimately pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking on February 24, 2020.



United States District Judge David Norton sentenced Martin to 60 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.



The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.



This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Schoen of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.

VIOLENT CRIME/DRUGS/MACHINE GUN - knowingly did possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, as charged in Count One, which is prosecutable in a court of the United States; In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924( c )(1 )(A)(i), with forfeiture allegations pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, 924(d)(l), Title 21, United States Code, Sections 853 and 881, and Title 28, United States Code, Section 2461(c)

(3s)

The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of SIXTY (60) months. The defendant shall pay a $100.00 special assessment fee, due beginning immediately. The court makes the following recommendations to the Bureau of Prisons: The defendant shall be designated to a facility closest to his home in South Carolina. The defendant is remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal. Upon release from imprisonment, the defendant shall be on supervised release for a term of three (3) years. While on supervised release, the defendant shall comply with the mandatory and standard conditions of supervision and the following special conditions. 1. The defendant must submit to substance abuse testing to determine if he has used a prohibited substance. If able, he shall contribute to the cost of such program not to exceed the amount determined reasonable by the court approved "U.S. Probation Office's Sliding Scale for Services," and will cooperate in securing any applicable third-party payment, such as insurance or Medicaid. 2. Unless able to secure stable and verifiable employment, the defendant shall participate in a Vocational Training or Work Force Development Program as approved by the U.S. Probation Office.