Three Pee Dee men among six sentenced in federal robbery, firearms case

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — Three Pee Dee men will spend years in federal prison after pleading guilty to their roles in a 2022 shooting at a Florence apartment complex.

Dorian Javon Godbolt, 24, of Darlington, was sentenced on Tuesday to more than five years in prison after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting robbery; Harkeem Dewayne Siequan Kennedy, 26, of Florence, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and Fanotti Nacier Neal, 21, of Effingham, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license.

Three other men from New York were also given prison sentences of between 2 1/2 and 10 years for their role in the incident, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

The charges all stem from a midnight attack on March 29, 2022. Investigators said Godbolt arranged for Kennedy to sell marijuana to a pair of men from Rochester, N.Y., knowing they planned to rob Kennedy.

As Kennedy approached a car, one of the men pulled a gun from his hoodie and demanded everything he had, leading to an exchange of gunfire.

Authorities then learned the robbers came from a specific unit at the apartment complex and seized numerous firearms, magazines, ammunition and a receipt for the purchase of another firearm.

That led investigators to unravel a scheme involving the sale of unlicensed guns that involved Neal.

Guns were purchased in South Carolina and displayed on social media to attract buyers, prosecutors said.

The investigation included members of the Florence Police Department and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as part of Project Safe Neighborhood.

“Law enforcement partnerships, as evidenced here, are a key element in the fight against violent crime,” Florence Police Chief Allen Heidler said in a news release.

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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