A Midlands man and his sister are guilty of buying more than 100 guns and reselling them for a profit in other parts of the East Coast, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A federal jury in Columbia has convicted 27-year-old Sumter resident Kelsey Antonio McCallum of illegally trafficking in firearms, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
During his trial in federal court, it was shown that McCallum and his sister, Daeja Hodge, purchased guns that were resold for a profit, according to the release. Hodge pleaded guilty to her role in the crime prior to McCallum’s trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“Most of these firearms ended up in the hands of criminals prohibited from possessing firearms or at crime scenes in the Baltimore area,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
According to the publication, McCallum lied at least 13 times between 2020 and 2022 to purchase guns from dealers in Columbia, Sumter and the Upstate region of South Carolina. McCallum also purchased firearms in Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
With each purchase, McCallum falsely said the guns were for his personal use, knowing he planned to sell them, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. McCallum would then illegally transport the guns to Maryland and sell them there, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
According to the release, McCallum and Hodge acquired more than 100 firearms. During the trial, prosecutors introduced more than 30 guns and ammunition found by law enforcement in the Baltimore area, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
McCallum faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, in addition to restitution, as well as 3 years of court supervision after he is released from a possible prison term, the release said. U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis will sentence McCallum after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Information about Hodge’s sentence was not available.
The ATF investigated the case along with local agencies in South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland and North Carolina, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Taylor and William Witherspoon led the prosecution, according to the release. Federal attorneys in Columbia represented McCallum and Hodge, records show.
In 2021, McCallum pleaded guilty to cruelty to children (torture, deprivation) following an arrest in 2019, Sumter County court records show.
