Judge tracker
Judge Joseph Dawson III's record in serious criminal cases
About the judge
U.S. District Judge, District of South Carolina
Joseph Dawson III is a federal district judge in South Carolina, nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed 56-39 in December 2020. He presides over United States v. John Paul Miller, a federal cyberstalking and false-statements case in which the defendant has pleaded not guilty. In 2022, the Fourth Circuit's Judicial Council publicly reprimanded him over a payment deal with his former employer, Charleston County.
Nominated by the president, confirmed by the Senate; on the bench since 2020
Photo: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
Bench Watch Brief · What the data shows
Bench Watch logs sentences by Judge Joseph Dawson III of the U.S. District Court in South Carolina in serious criminal cases, mostly from the U.S. Attorney's press releases. It isn't a complete record. In the one case where both sides' requests were reported, he sentenced below the government's request and the guidelines.
14 entries · select a column to sort
| Source | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | United States v. John Paul Miller | Trial date | Moved the trial to the January 2027 term, granting a defense motion with a speedy-trial waiver | The defense asked, with a speedy-trial waiver; it was the defense's sixth motion to continue | Source | |
| 2025 | Bhagavan “Doc” Antle | Sentence for wildlife trafficking conspiracy and money laundering | One year and one day and a $55,000 fine | Prosecutors asked for about two years, and the defense asked for probation or home confinement | Below the guidelines (about two years, as reported) and the government's request | Source |
| 2025 | James Edward Moss Jr. | Sentence for transporting a minor for criminal sexual activity | 55 months and 10 years of supervised release | Source | ||
| 2025 | Angela Crosland | Sentence after trial for bribery, money laundering and drug distribution by a prison officer | 136 months | Source | ||
| 2024 | Laine Clark | Sentence for possessing child sexual abuse material | 78 months and lifetime supervision | Source | ||
| 2024 | Joshua Rodriguez and four others | Sentences for fentanyl trafficking and gun charges | From 18 to 151 months; Rodriguez 151 months | Source | ||
| 2024 | Elijah N. Fitts and five others | Sentences in a robbery and shooting at a Florence apartment complex | From 24 to 120 months; Fitts 120 months for firing a gun during a crime of violence | Source | ||
| 2024 | William Dallis | Sentence for money laundering | 12 months and one day, and about $75,000 forfeited | Source | ||
| 2024 | Marquand Newell | Sentence for drug and gun crimes | 117 months, made up of 57 months on the drug charge plus 60 months, consecutive, on the gun charge | Source | ||
| 2023 | United States v. Douglas Perdick | Sentence of a former police officer for distributing child sexual abuse material (guilty plea) | 60 months, lifetime supervision and $9,000 restitution | Source | ||
| 2023 | United States v. Ulisses Jair Perez Guillen and Martine Garcia | Sentences for cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking, and a gun in furtherance (guilty pleas) | Perez Guillen 120 months; Garcia 41 months | Source | ||
| 2023 | United States v. Tiffany McFadden | Sentence for leading a PPP loan fraud ring of more than $2 million | 37 months, 5 years of supervision and restitution | Source | ||
| 2022 | United States v. Ashia Rhene McCray | Sentence for distributing fentanyl, death resulting (guilty plea) | 135 months and 3 years of supervision | Source | ||
| 2022 | United States v. Rashad Jamal Mack | Sentence for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon (guilty plea) | 57 months and 3 years of supervision | Source |
How we built this
Bench Watch logs Judge Dawson's sentences and key rulings in serious criminal cases, meaning homicide, sex crimes and other violent felonies, and major federal crimes, plus rulings in cases Bench Watch follows. The goal is the judge's whole time on the bench. We log the most recent five years first, then work back, and the “Covers” line shows the years logged so far. Each row links to its source, which is a court record, an appeals opinion, an official release or a news report.
This is not a complete record. Most rows come from the U.S. Attorney's Office press releases, which give the government's account and rarely report the guidelines range or what each side asked. Bench Watch adds decisions as it confirms them.
We leave “What each side asked” blank when the source didn't report it. “Compared with the options” sets the decision against what the law allowed, the sentencing guidelines and any joint recommendation, as reported in the source. We don't name victims. When naming a defendant would identify a child victim, we withhold the name.