SC man sold more than a dozen guns to undercover agents, prosecutor says
A South Carolina man is going to federal prison after pleading guilty to a gun crime, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday in a news release.
Kendolius Cortez Jones, a 32-year-old West Columbia resident, was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the release.
From April through June 2023, Jones sold 13 guns to undercover ATF agents, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The guns that were sold included stolen firearms and weapons capable of accepting large capacity magazines, according to the release.
Jones was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of prior felony convictions for criminal conspiracy, assault and battery, failure to stop for blue light, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, forgery, driving under suspension, and multiple drug related offenses, including distribution of crack cocaine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Judge Sherri Lydon sentenced Jones to 107 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision, according to the release. There is no parole in the federal system.
In addition to ATF agents, the case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, West Columbia Police Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Judicial records show that Jones has previously been represented by the public defender’s office on South Carolina charges, but information about his attorney in federal court was not available.
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This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 1:40 PM with the headline "SC man sold more than a dozen guns to undercover agents, prosecutor says."
