Columbia man with criminal record goes to prison on new conviction, official says

A South Carolina man is going to federal prison after being found guilty of drug and gun crimes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Paubon Ojo, a 27-year-old Columbia resident, was sentenced to more than 8 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute marijuana convictions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday in a news release.

On May 27, 2023, deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department responded to a store on Decker Boulevard after receiving a call about a man shoplifting, who was later determined to be Ojo, according to the release. When deputies arrived, Ojo tried to flee from the store before he was detained, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

During a search deputies found a stolen gun in Ojo’s pocket as well as 447.3 grams of marijuana and a scale in his backpack, according to the release.

Ojo has prior convictions for shoplifting, burglary, grand larceny, and strong-arm robbery, all of which prevent him from possessing a weapon under federal law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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U.S. District Judge Joseph Anderson Jr., sentenced Ojo to 100 months in prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of court-ordered supervision, according to the release. There is no parole in the federal system.

In addition to the sheriff’s department, the case was investigated by the ATF and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar Fyall prosecuted the case. Attorney Laronda Kelley-Smith was listed as Johnson’s attorney on state charges from the arrest that are pending, Richland County court records show.