Columbia gang member pleads guilty to firearm charges

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– According to Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart, a gang member from Columbia pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Officials say 27-year-old Dashawn Terrell Swygert plead guilty in federal court, and he now awaits sentencing.

In early 2020, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives way they conducted an undercover investigation into firearms in the Columbia area, and they were introduced to Swygert. Investigators say Swygert sold six handguns to undercover ATF agents, and many of them were loaded. ATF agents say they recovered seven total firearms, and three of those guns were previously reported stolen. Investigators say ballistics analysis links another one of the guns to two shootings in Richland County and one shooting in Lexington County.

Authorities say Swygert has prior state convictions for strong armed robbery, assault and battery and criminal conspiracy.

According to authorities, Swygert faces up to 10-years in federal prison, an up to $250,000 fine and three years of supervision after release.