COLUMBIA MAN SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS
FOR FEDERAL FIREARM CHARGE

   COLUMBIA, South Carolina ---- Lorenzo Donnell Taylor, age 24, of Columbia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in federal court. United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., of Columbia imposed the sentence, which will be followed by three years of supervised release.

Last January, agents with the Columbia Violent Gang Task Force attempted to stop Taylor’s car. Taylor accelerated and struck a parked car, then jumped out and fled on foot. After using a taser to stop him, agents discovered an ammunition clip in Taylor’s pocket, and recovered a loaded .40 caliber pistol he threw nearby.

Taylor has prior state convictions for illegal possession of a pistol, possession of crack cocaine, assault and battery with intent to kill, failure to stop for a blue light, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. As a convicted felon, Taylor is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

The case was investigated by agents of the Columbia Violent Gang Task Force, comprised of agents from the FBI, ATF, Columbia Police Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and SLED, and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the prosecution of the case.