Kelsey Antonio McCallum, 29, of Sumter, South Carolina, was convicted for illegally trafficking firearms and reselling them for profit, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced on November 1. McCallum, alongside Bryana Hodge, 25, also from Sumter, was indicted in 2022 on multiple charges, including conspiracy, making false statements on firearm purchase forms, and aiding and abetting.
From 2020 to 2022, McCallum made false statements on at least 13 occasions to purchase firearms from dealers in Columbia, Sumter, and the Upstate areas of South Carolina, as well as in Georgia. Despite claiming that the firearms were for personal use, McCallum had the intent to resell them. He transported the firearms illegally to Maryland, where he sold them, often to felons prohibited from owning firearms.
Together with Hodge, McCallum obtained over 100 firearms through this scheme. These firearms ended up in the hands of criminals or were used at crime scenes, particularly in the Baltimore area. In addition, some firearms were sold in North Carolina. Law enforcement recovered more than 30 firearms and ammunition in Baltimore linked to the trafficking scheme.
Before McCallum’s trial, Hodge pleaded guilty for her involvement in the operation. McCallum now faces up to 10 years in federal prison, along with a potential fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and three years of supervised release following his sentence.
This conviction highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat illegal firearm trafficking and the dangers posed by the distribution of weapons to criminals and felons.
