South Mills, N.C., man pleads guilty to making moonshine

WILMINGTON, N.C.

A South Mills man pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of manufacturing moonshine, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

John Dawson Pierce, 61, pleaded guilty to operating a liquor still without a license and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for the moonshine manufacturing charge and up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised probation and a fine of up to $250,000 for the weapon charge.

If deemed an "armed career criminal," he could face life imprisonment.

Pierce was indicted by a federal grand jury in March, the news release said.

According to the release, between June 2005 and August 2007, Pierce purchased more than 21,000 pounds of sugar, a key ingredient in the manufacturing of moonshine. In July 2007, investigators learned he was manufacturing illegal moonshine on a small undeveloped island in the middle of the Pasquotank River in Camden County, the release said.

He was stopped Aug. 21, 2008, and a search of his vehicle revealed 30 gallons of moonshine in the trunk, the news release said. On Nov. 17, a search warrant was executed and agents seized four firearms and 15 gallons of moonshine, the release said.