SAVANNAH, GA: Twelve defendants are amongst these going through federal expenses together with unlawful possession of firearms and drug expenses after separate indictments by a grand jury within the Southern District of Georgia, whereas current actions in U.S. District Courtroom embody responsible pleas and felony sentences associated to unlawful gun possession. 

The indicted instances are being investigated as a part of Challenge Secure Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and native regulation enforcement businesses, together with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, to scale back violent crime with measures that embody focusing on convicted felons who illegally carry weapons.

“Getting weapons out of the arms of criminals is a vital component of the battle in opposition to violent crime and the disruption of our neighborhoods,” stated Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Lawyer for the Southern District of Georgia. “We commend the onerous work of our regulation enforcement officers as they proceed to establish and apprehend those that illegally possess firearms.”   

Prior to now 4 years, greater than 800 defendants have been federally charged within the Southern District of Georgia for unlawful firearms offenses – most frequently for possessing a firearm after conviction for a earlier felony. Federal regulation elevated the utmost penalty for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon to fifteen years, up from 10, for these present in possession after June 25, 2022.

Defendants named in federal indictments from the March 2023 time period of the U.S. District Courtroom grand jury embody:

• Jovonn Courtney Stokes, 26, of Springfield, Ga., charged with three counts of Interference with Commerce by Theft and three counts of Possession of a Firearm Throughout a Crime of Violence for a string of armed robberies of Chatham County comfort shops in November and December 2022.
• Stacey Vincent, 45, and Felicia Sherrod, 54, each of Douglas, Ga., every charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or Extra of Methamphetamine, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Vincent is also charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
• Tavarres L. Freeman Jr., 22, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
• Todd Joseph Harbuck, 47, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
• Daquan Minor, 32, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
• Calvin Well mannered, 35, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
• Arthur Singleton, 46, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon.
• Desirae Heinsler, 37, of Eastman, Ga., charged with six counts of creating false statements throughout the buy of firearms.
• Stephan DeWaine Jackson, 27, of Brunswick, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Crack; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
• Alvin York, 47, of Swainsboro, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
• Kenneth Oliver Riley, 60, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

Legal indictments comprise solely expenses; defendants are presumed harmless except and till confirmed responsible.

Further defendants not too long ago have been adjudicated on federal expenses that embody unlawful firearms possession:

• Seth Patrick Anderson, a/okay/a “Shane Anderson,” a/okay/a “AB,” 37, of Hinesville, Ga., was sentenced to 63 months in jail after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Lengthy County sheriff’s deputies arrested Anderson in October 2021 at a license checkpoint after discovering a pistol within the car he was driving. Anderson is a member of the Aryan Brotherhood white supremacist avenue gang.
• Reginald DeMarco Smith, a/okay/a “Gunslinger,” 49, of Augusta, was sentenced to 60 months in jail and fined $2,500 after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Smith sped away from an tried site visitors cease in February 2021 by a Richmond County Sheriff’s deputy, then deserted his car and bumped into the woods. Investigators discovered a loaded pistol, a major quantity of medicine, and greater than $18,000 in money on the scene, and Smith was situated and arrested 9 months later. Smith has a number of prior felony convictions for drug trafficking offenses and was on federal supervised launch on the time of his arrest.
• Diallow Akpan Johnson, a/okay/a “Kevin Williams,” 50, of Savannah, was sentenced to 60 months in jail after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Savannah Law enforcement officials had been referred to as to Johnson’s residence in January 2021 to research a report of home violence and located a pistol and medicines within the residence.
• Tareem Burgess, 39, of Hephzibah, Ga., was sentenced to 60 months in jail and fined $1,500 after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Burgess after a site visitors cease in August 2020 after they discovered a pistol in his car. Burgess has prior convictions for theft and household violence.
• Dwight Eady, 40, of Milan, Ga., was sentenced to 54 months in jail after pleading responsible to Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon. Eady was arrested in September 2020 after operating from a Georgia State Patrol site visitors cease in Telfair County. Telfair County Sheriff’s deputies and a Georgia Division of Pure Assets warden later discovered Eady in a wooded space, together with medication, ammunition and a semi-automatic pistol. Eady has prior federal and state felony convictions for drug trafficking.
• Rondell Smith, a/okay/a “Rondal Smith,” 27, of Hephzibah, was sentenced to 42 months in jail and fined $1,500 after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Smith in February 2022 after discovering a pistol in his car throughout a site visitors cease. On the time of his arrest, Smith was on supervised launch from a 2017 federal conviction for Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
• Joshua Jerome Russell, 27, of Swainsboro, Ga., was sentenced to 13 months in jail after pleading responsible to Discharging a Firearm in a Faculty Zone. A Johnson County Sheriff’s workplace investigator arrested Russell in August 2022 after seeing Russell exit his car at a Johnson County Excessive Faculty soccer sport, level a pistol within the air and fireplace a number of instances, inflicting a panic on the stadium. 
• Amir Dontell Foreman, 27, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Foreman in August 2022 after discovering a pistol in his car throughout a site visitors cease as a part of Operation Grace.
• Kevon Quantae Davis, 23, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Davis in January 2022 as a part of Operation Grace, a gang-focused investigation in coordination with the FBI. A member of the Bolt Alley Drive Boyz avenue gang, Davis dropped a pistol whereas operating on foot from deputies.
• Reco Casey, a/okay/a “Rico,” 33, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In September 2021, Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies discovered a pistol within the car the place Casey was a passenger. Casey was on state felony probation on the time of his arrest.
• Nicholas Robinson, 22, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Law enforcement officials arrested Robinson in March 2022 after discovering two pistols in Robinson’s pockets whereas investigating a home disturbance at a motel.
• Ricky Maurice Johnson, 35, of Swainsboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Johnson was arrested in June 2022 after a automobile and foot chase by Georgia State Patrol troopers and Savannah Law enforcement officials.
• Kenneth Sallen, 42, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Sallen was arrested in July 2022 when Pooler Law enforcement officials discovered a pistol in Sallen’s waistband throughout a site visitors cease. Sallen beforehand was convicted of armed theft and was on probation for a firearms cost on the time of his arrest.

• Taipai La’Don Brewer, 43, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Brewer in July 2022 after discovering a pistol and medicines in his automobile throughout a site visitors cease as a part of the Operation Grace investigation of gang-related crimes within the Augusta space.

• Terrance Webster Dunn, 32, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading responsible to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A beforehand convicted felon, Dunn was arrested in October 2022 when Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies discovered him using a motorbike in a shopping mall parking zone, taking pictures of himself with a pistol in his waistband.  

Businesses investigating these instances embody the ATF, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Division, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Workplace, and the Georgia State Patrol.

The instances are being prosecuted for the US by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace.

Beneath federal regulation, it’s unlawful for a person to own a firearm if she or he falls into one in every of 9 prohibited classes together with being a felon; unlawful alien; or illegal person of a managed substance. Additional, it’s illegal to own a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. Additionally it is unlawful to buy – and even to try to buy – firearms if the customer is a prohibited particular person or illegally buying a firearm on behalf of others. Mendacity on ATF Kind 4473, which is used to lawfully buy a firearm, is also a federal offense. 

For extra info from the ATF on the lawful buying of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atfw-form-4473