Sumter rapper sentenced to six years in federal prison for firearms charges
A Sumter rapper known as “Lil Quan the CEO” was sentenced to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for South Carolina announced.
The rapper, whose legal name is Daquan Tyreek Funchess-Johnson, was arrested following a concert in Sumter in 2019. At the time, he was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to his prior felony convictions.
U.S. District Judge Donald Coggins noted that it wasn’t Funchess-Johnson’s “first rodeo” when he sentenced the rapper to 72 months imprisonment followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Funchess-Johnson had already been convicted twice in state court of unlawfully carrying of a firearm.
Funchess-Johnson, 26, was arrested during a multi-agency effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Sumter Police Department to crack down on gang violence in Sumter.
In a criminal complaint, investigators say that they were investigating gang-related shootings in Sumter County, which were believed to have been connected to “an on going dispute between music artists and street gangs in the Sumter metropolitan area.”
Funchess-Johnson was found to be playing at a “Trapaholics” event at the S&B Lounge in Sumter, according the complaint. Officers decided to surveil the rapper after learning that the “validated Gangster Disciple street gang member” had open warrants from Orangeburg County and was “known to be armed,” according to the complaint.
After detaining Funchess-Johnson outside of a Sunoco gas station, officers say that they searched his 2019 Dodge Challenger and recovered a .45 caliber Ruger pistol inside the rapper’s jacket.
The firearm, which was reported stolen from a gun store in September 2017, was also linked to shell casings recovered from two separate shooting incidents in Sumter in July 2019.
Funchess-Johnson agreed to forfeit the gun as part of his plea deal. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the ATF and the Sumter Police Department.
Funchess-Johnson has prior state convictions for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of cocaine, cruelty to children, unlawful carrying of a weapon and providing false information to police.
A trap rapper, some of Funchess-Johnson’s songs include “U-Haul” and “Add Up.” He was represented in court by his attorney state Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland.
Shootings continue to be a problem in Sumter county. A recent spree of 11 drive-by shootings are thought to be connected to three men who were arrested in September.
This story was originally published October 22, 2022 at 3:53 PM.