Columbia man faces pleads guilty to federal charges after posting photos, videos of guns and drugs
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Columbia man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of illegally possessing firearms after posting Snapchat photos and videos in which he illegally possessed various guns and drugs.
Chauncey Erin Howard, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
According to a release, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent watched Howard’s Snapchat account in which he regularly posted photos and videos of himself in possession of guns and drugs and made announcements that he had drugs for sale.
In July 2020, Howard posted several times to Snapchat where he showed several guns and drugs including marijuana, Oxycodone and crack cocaine.
On July 22, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Howard’s residence. Officers found the Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun with the green laser and flashlight attachment, a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun, an S.C. Nova Grup S.R.L. 9mm semi-automatic handgun, marijuana, and $16,201 in cash. Officers also found THC gummies and $950 in a vehicle that Howard had been driving.
Howard faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
