Southern District of Georgia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Georgia man convicted of fraud in seeking millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief fundingRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA: A federal jury deliberated less than an hour before finding a Georgia man guilty on multiple charges for leading a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funding.
Bernard Okojie, 41, of McDonough, Ga., was found guilty after a three-day trial of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Money Laundering Conspiracy, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The guilty verdict subjects Okojie to statutory penalties of up to 30 years in prison, along with up to $1 million in financial penalties and up to five years of supervised release after completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Before the ink was dry on legislation creating the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Bernard Okojie was scheming to steal these vital small business safety net funds,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “The guilty verdict slams the door on this fraud, and signals to others stealing from pandemic relief funds that they, too, will be held accountable.”
As described in trial and in court documents, Okojie used information for non-existent companies to file at least 24 fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program loans for himself and others from April 2020 through May of 2021, seeking millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds for himself and others. Okojie received the funding directly, or was paid by other recipients of the fraudulently obtained funding for his work in submitting the EIDL applications. Okojie then conspired to launder the fraudulent proceeds to hide the source of the funds.
Funds from the more than $1.4 million Okojie and others received through the schemes were used to purchase a home, vehicles, shopping trips to Versace, for personal investments, and a toy poodle. Okojie also was intercepted as he attempted to carry nearly $40,000 in undeclared cash on a plane from Atlanta to Nigeria.
Sentencing before U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will be scheduled upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“This verdict should serve notice that the FBI and our federal partners will investigate anyone who misdirects federal emergency assistance earmarked for businesses who need it to stay afloat,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We won’t tolerate anyone driven by personal greed to pocket American tax payer money that should be going to those in need.”
“Manufacturing false information to wrongfully obtain funds from SBA programs intended for the nation’s small businesses is a theft from taxpayers,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “OIG and its law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue fraudsters and bring them to justice. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew A. Josephson and Jennifer A. Stanley.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former owner of Savannah restaurant sentenced to prison, ordered to pay more than $400,000 restitution in tax caseRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: The former owner of a Savannah pizza franchise has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for failing to remit more than $400,000 in payroll taxes.
Melissa Metts Johnson, 48, of Statesboro, Ga., was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to Failure to Account for and Pay Over Employment Taxes, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker ordered Johnson to pay restitution of $428,203.48 and to serve one year of supervised release upon completion of her prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“For several years, Melissa Johnson withheld taxes from her employees’ paychecks and kept that money for her own enrichment rather than remit it to the IRS,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “She’s now being held accountable for stealing from the U.S. Treasury at the expense of other law-abiding taxpayers.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Johnson was the sole owner of LHMS Inc., which operated a franchise of the Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant in Savannah. In her guilty plea, Johnson acknowledged that her company withheld payments for federal income taxes, Medicare, and Social Security from employees’ paychecks from 2015 through 2019, but then failed to pay all of those taxes to the IRS.
“Altogether,” the plea agreement says, the “LHMS, Inc. to failed to account for and pay over $428,203.48 in payroll taxes.”
“Melissa Johnson’s employees were dedicated over the years, keeping her business running, and she repaid them by stealing their employment taxes,” said James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Employers have a responsibility to their employees to pay over federal income taxes withheld from their payroll checks to the IRS. IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to investigate dishonest employers who evade their responsibilities and abuse their employees’ trust.”
The case is being investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer J. Kirkland.
Second ex-U.S. soldier sentenced to prison for plotting murder of Fort Stewart servicemember stabbed to death in installation housingRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A former U.S. Army soldier has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to his role in a plot that led to the stabbing death of a fellow soldier in his Fort Stewart barracks.
Jordan Brown, 23, of St. Marys, Ga., was sentenced to 240 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Assault Upon a U.S. Servicemember Involving Bodily Injury or a Deadly Weapon, and Retaliation Against a Witness Involving Bodily Injury, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Brown to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Brown’s co-defendant, Byron Booker, 29, of Ludowici, Ga., was sentenced on Feb. 2 to life in prison after previously pleading guilty to Premeditated Murder of a Member of the United States Uniformed Services.
“Both of these defendants are responsible for the brutal murder of a U.S. Army soldier who honorably performed his duties as a service member,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “The final sentence in this case hopefully provides justice for Specialist Austin Hawk, and holds his killers accountable.”
As described in court testimony and in the plea agreements for the defendants, Brown, a former U.S. Army Private First Class, admitted that he and Booker, a former U.S. Army sergeant, discussed “silencing” Specialist Austin J. Hawk, 21, at Fort Stewart Military Reservation in retaliation for Hawk reporting Brown to U.S. Army leadership for marijuana use. After gaining entry to Hawk’s barracks room shortly after midnight on June 17, 2020, Booker “slashed and stabbed Hawk repeatedly with a sharp-edged weapon.” A medical examiner noted that Hawk received 40 separate stab or slash wounds, many of them that individually would have been fatal, and cut his own hand during the assault.
Hawk’s body was found in his Fort Stewart barracks room the next day. Brown was in his own barracks room on the floor below Hawk’s room during the assault.
“This sentence holds Brown accountable for his actions and brings closure to the victim’s family,” said Rusty Higgason, Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Southeast Field Office. “This complex investigation is a great example of the close teamwork among Army CID, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Georgia.”
“Brown’s sentence is a direct result of the hard work and persistence put in by the FBI Savannah Resident Agency and our partners at the U.S. Army and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hawk’s family and friends will never be rid of the pain this senseless murder has caused them, but hopefully it gives them some sense of resolve to know that justice will be served.”
U.S. Attorney Steinberg commended the work of CID Forensic Science Technicians from Fort Stewart, Fort Bragg, Fort Gordon, and Fort Jackson, and from the analysts with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory and the FBI Crime Lab.
The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI investigated the case, which was prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Darron J. Hubbard.
Twelve indicted on federal charges for crimes including drugs and illegal firearms possessionRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Twelve defendants are among those facing federal charges including illegal possession of firearms and drug charges after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in U.S. District Court include guilty pleas and criminal sentences related to illegal gun possession.
The indicted cases are being investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally carry guns.
“Getting guns out of the hands of criminals is an essential element of the fight against violent crime and the disruption of our neighborhoods,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We commend the hard work of our law enforcement officers as they continue to identify and apprehend those who illegally possess firearms.”
In the past four years, more than 800 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony. Federal law increased the maximum penalty for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon to 15 years, up from 10, for those found in possession after June 25, 2022.
Defendants named in federal indictments from the March 2023 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:
- Jovonn Courtney Stokes, 26, of Springfield, Ga., charged with three counts of Interference with Commerce by Robbery and three counts of Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence for a string of armed robberies of Chatham County convenience stores in November and December 2022.
- Stacey Vincent, 45, and Felicia Sherrod, 54, both of Douglas, Ga., each charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Vincent also is 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 Polite, 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 making false statements during the purchase 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.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on federal charges that include illegal firearms possession:
- Seth Patrick Anderson, a/k/a “Shane Anderson,” a/k/a “AB,” 37, of Hinesville, Ga., was sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Long County sheriff’s deputies arrested Anderson in October 2021 at a license checkpoint after finding a pistol in the vehicle he was driving. Anderson is a member of the Aryan Brotherhood white supremacist street gang.
- Reginald DeMarco Smith, a/k/a “Gunslinger,” 49, of Augusta, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and fined $2,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Smith sped away from an attempted traffic stop in February 2021 by a Richmond County Sheriff’s deputy, then abandoned his vehicle and ran into the woods. Investigators found a loaded pistol, a significant amount of drugs, and more than $18,000 in cash at the scene, and Smith was located and arrested nine months later. Smith has multiple prior felony convictions for drug trafficking offenses and was on federal supervised release at the time of his arrest.
- Diallow Akpan Johnson, a/k/a “Kevin Williams,” 50, of Savannah, was sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Savannah Police officers were called to Johnson’s apartment in January 2021 to investigate a report of domestic violence and found a pistol and drugs in the residence.
- Tareem Burgess, 39, of Hephzibah, Ga., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Burgess after a traffic stop in August 2020 when they found a pistol in his vehicle. Burgess has prior convictions for robbery and family violence.
- Dwight Eady, 40, of Milan, Ga., was sentenced to 54 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon. Eady was arrested in September 2020 after running from a Georgia State Patrol traffic stop in Telfair County. Telfair County Sheriff’s deputies and a Georgia Department of Natural Resources warden later found Eady in a wooded area, along with drugs, ammunition and a semi-automatic pistol. Eady has prior federal and state felony convictions for drug trafficking.
- Rondell Smith, a/k/a “Rondal Smith,” 27, of Hephzibah, was sentenced to 42 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Smith in February 2022 after finding a pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop. At the time of his arrest, Smith was on supervised release from a 2017 federal conviction for Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
- Joshua Jerome Russell, 27, of Swainsboro, Ga., was sentenced to 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to Discharging a Firearm in a School Zone. A Johnson County Sheriff’s office investigator arrested Russell in August 2022 after seeing Russell exit his vehicle at a Johnson County High School football game, point a pistol in the air and fire multiple times, causing a panic at the stadium.
- Amir Dontell Foreman, 27, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Foreman in August 2022 after finding a pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop as part of Operation Grace.
- Kevon Quantae Davis, 23, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Davis in January 2022 as part of Operation Grace, a gang-focused investigation in coordination with the FBI. A member of the Bolt Alley Drive Boyz street gang, Davis dropped a pistol while running on foot from deputies.
- Reco Casey, a/k/a “Rico,” 33, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In September 2021, Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies found a pistol in the vehicle where Casey was a passenger. Casey was on state felony probation at the time of his arrest.
- Nicholas Robinson, 22, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers arrested Robinson in March 2022 after finding two pistols in Robinson’s pockets while investigating a domestic disturbance at a motel.
- Ricky Maurice Johnson, 35, of Swainsboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Johnson was arrested in June 2022 after a car and foot chase by Georgia State Patrol troopers and Savannah Police officers.
- Kenneth Sallen, 42, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Sallen was arrested in July 2022 when Pooler Police officers found a pistol in Sallen’s waistband during a traffic stop. Sallen previously was convicted of armed robbery and was on probation for a firearms charge at the time of his arrest.
- Taipai La’Don Brewer, 43, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Brewer in July 2022 after finding a pistol and drugs in his car during a traffic stop as part of the Operation Grace investigation of gang-related crimes in the Augusta area.
- Terrance Webster Dunn, 32, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A previously convicted felon, Dunn was arrested in October 2022 when Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies found him riding a bike in a shopping center parking lot, taking photos of himself with a pistol in his waistband.
Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol.
The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense.
For more information from the ATF on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atfw-form-4473
Bryan County man convicted on federal drug charges for trafficking fentanylRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Bryan County man could face decades in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl.
Javarus McKinney, a/k/a “Jody,” 34, of Richmond Hill, Ga., was convicted after a four-day trial on charges of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Fentanyl; Possession with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Fentanyl; and Possession with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Fentanyl in or Near Schools, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charges carry a statutory penalty of up to 60 years in prison, followed by a substantial period of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The jury acquitted McKinney on enhanced charges related to the death of an overdose victim.
“Fentanyl is addictive, pervasive, and deadly, and drug traffickers like McKinney help fuel this national crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Now convicted, he will be held accountable.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Richmond Hill Police officers initiated an investigation Aug. 12, 2020, after a male victim was found dead in a residential pool. An autopsy indicated the man had a fatal dose of fentanyl in his system at the time of death. Additional investigation identified McKinney as a Richmond Hill-area distributor of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, in addition to marijuana and THC products.
U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker will schedule sentencing following the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“The poisonous fentanyl continues to flow into communities at the expense of too many lives,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This trafficker must now face the consequences of his actions.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, and the Richmond Hill Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and Frank M. Pennington II.
Leader of Waycross-area drug trafficking conspiracy sentenced to decades in federal prisonRead the Press Release
WAYCROSS, GA: The leader of a south Georgia fentanyl- and heroin-trafficking operation linked to drug overdose deaths has been sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison.
Eric Lashawn Hayes, a/k/a “Pee Wee,” 39, of Blackshear, Ga., was sentenced to 262 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Hayes to serve eight years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“The investigation of Eric Hayes and his co-conspirators – including his three brothers – exposes the horrors of the growing fentanyl menace in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg “An alarming number of overdoses and deaths drew attention to these drug dealers, and they are being held accountable for distributing poison throughout the Waycross area.”
Hayes was one of six defendants named in February 2021 in U.S.A. v. Hayes, et. al, an indictment targeting a drug distribution network in the greater Waycross area. The Pierce and Ware County Sheriff’s Offices initiated the investigation in July 2020 after multiple drug overdoses attributed to heroin and fentanyl, including three deaths. The Savannah Office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration joined the investigation, which identified Hayes as a source of supply for the illegal drugs.
The investigation culminated in the indictments of the six defendants, all of whom have been sentenced after pleading guilty to felony charges. They include:
- Cyrlus LaShawn Hayes, a/k/a “Dubo,” 45, of Waycross, Ga., a brother of Eric Hayes, serving 120 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Fentanyl and Heroin;
- Davey Green, a/k/a “Little Dave,” 35, of Waycross, Ga., half-brother of Eric Hayes, sentenced to 58 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl;
- Renalba Jamar Green, a/k/a “Reno,” 35, of Waycross, Ga., another half-brother, sentenced to 24 months in prison for using a cell phone to conduct illegal drug trafficking activity;
- Crystal Champagne, 34, of Waycross, Ga., serving 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of Fentanyl; and,
- Preston Connor Luke, 27, of Blackshear, Ga., sentenced to three years’ probation for Distribution of Fentanyl.
“Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin – the combination of these deadly substances has claimed many lives,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Because of the efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement, these defendants can no longer distribute these dangerous and potentially deadly substances.”
The case was investigated by the Savannah Office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Blackshear Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank M. Pennington II.
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Final defendant sentenced in prosecution of middle Georgia methamphetamine-trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
DUBLIN, GA: The final defendant from a Laurens County methamphetamine trafficking ring has been sentenced to prison, wrapping up an operation that dismantled a major middle Georgia drug conspiracy and took more than 75 illegally possessed firearms off the streets.
Robert Anthony Justice, 40, of Chester, Ga., was sentenced to 21 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to using a cell phone to conduct illegal drug trafficking activity, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. With Justice’s plea, 25 of 30 indicted defendants in Operation Monroe Doctrine have been sentenced after pleading guilty to felony charges related to the conspiracy, and four defendants entered Pre-Trial Diversion. One defendant passed away during the pendency of the case.
“Whether it’s in big cities or small towns, methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs fuel an addiction crisis that generates crime and misery,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Operation Monroe Doctrine demonstrates the success of law enforcement agencies working together to protect these communities.”
The July 2021 indictment of 30 defendants in USA v. Monroe et. al, dubbed Operation Monroe Doctrine, was the culmination of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation that identified a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy throughout Laurens and Telfair counties and beyond, operating from at least January 2020 through January 2021.
As described in court documents and testimony, the defendants coordinated to import and distribute illegal drugs throughout the greater Dublin and Laurens County community. Key sentences in the operation include:
- David Alex Monroe, 34, of Dexter, Ga., the leader of the conspiracy, is serving 84 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine. As part of his plea agreement, Monroe forfeited a machine gun, an illegal short-barrel rifle, and two silencers, and abandoned his interest in 54 additional firearms.
- Jorge Hernandez-Pena, 48, of Atlanta, Ga., the conspiracy’s source of supply, is serving 240 months in prison, followed by deportation, after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine.
- Fredi Ramirez-Garcia, 44, of Decatur, Ga., another of the conspiracy’s drug distributors, is serving 120 months in prison, followed by deportation, after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
- David Kates, 48, a Jamaican citizen, is serving 108 months in prison, followed by deportation, after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine.
- Christopher Forbes, 33, of Dublin, Ga., is serving 97 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine. As part of his plea agreement, Forbes forfeited his interest in 21 firearms and two silencers.
- Carl Davis, 50, of Jacksonville, Fla., is serving 88 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine.
“Prior to the people of Laurens County electing me as sheriff, I promised I would work hard to eliminate the dangerous drug dealers from our community,” said Laurens County Sheriff Larry Dean. “I have and will continue to do so. My deputies will continue to work with other agencies on the local, state and federal level to ensure strong, swift convictions to the ones who choose to peddle dope here. My hat goes off to everyone who had a role in this case, from my staff all the way to the DEA and the U.S. Attorney's Office. I thank you all.”
“The insidious drug methamphetamine destroys families and communities,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to protect and serve those communities. This investigation was a success because of the collective effort between DEA, and its local, state and federal law enforcement counterparts.”
“There is no initiative more critical to ATF than increasing the safety of our communities. Cases which result in the arrests and prosecution of criminals are fundamental to continuing this initiative while simultaneously shows criminals that ATF and its law enforcement partners will not falter in this mission.” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “We will pursue criminals such as these wherever they may operate, and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The case was investigated by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Harper III, Frank M. Pennington II, and Southern District of Georgia OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo.
Richmond County men sentenced for shootout that caught Postal delivery driver and vehicle in crossfireRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: Two Richmond County men have been sentenced to federal prison for a December 2021 shootout that narrowly missed a U.S. Postal Service driver while damaging her vehicle.
Corii Arkeem Bussey, 32, and Darnell Dwight Brown, 30, both of Augusta, were sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to felony charges following the gunfight outside an Augusta convenience store, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen sentenced Bussey to 48 months in prison for Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding a Federal Employee, and sentenced Brown to 48 months in prison for Possession of a Firearm by a User of Illegal Drugs. Judge Bowen also fined each defendant $1,500, and ordered them to serve three years of supervised release after completion of their prison terms. There is no parole in the federal system.
“It’s exceptionally fortunate that no one was wounded by this inexcusably reckless exchange of gunfire in broad daylight,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “The community will be safer with these gun-carrying criminals off the streets.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Bussey and Brown encountered each other while shopping at an Augusta discount store on Dec. 9, 2021 and had what a witness described as a “nonverbal disagreement” that ended with Bussey brandishing a firearm.
A short time later, the two again encountered each other at an Augusta convenience store where they parked on either side of a U.S. Postal Service delivery truck. Each man produced a semiautomatic pistol and began firing, with bullets striking the Postal Service vehicle as the postal employee lay on the floorboard for safety. Bullets also struck Brown’s vehicle and a nearby tire store while missing each shooter, the postal carrier, and other customers at the convenience store. Investigators later recovered 18 shell casings at the site.
Both men left the scene. Richmond County Sheriff’s Office investigators later arrested Brown at the residence of a relative, while Bussey surrendered to U.S. Marshals in August 2022.
“We are grateful for the collaborative investigative work performed by our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “One of the top priorities of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is to protect postal employees while they are in the performance of their federal duties. The reckless behavior and poor judgement exercised by these two individuals have resulted in their sentence to serve time behind bars and they will be unable to endanger or harm any other people.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer A. Stanley.
Columbia County man sentenced to federal prison for production of child pornographyRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A Columbia County man has been sentenced to federal prison for creating and possessing images depicting the sexual exploitation of a child.
Michael Benjamin Buckner, 39, of Grovetown, Ga., was sentenced to 15 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to Attempted Production of Child Pornography, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also fined Buckner $3,500, ordered him to register as a sex offender and to serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Investigations and prosecutions of predators continue to be a priority in our efforts to protect the most vulnerable among us,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend our law enforcement partners for their vigilance in following the evidence to hold Michael Buckner accountable.”
As described in court documents and testimony, investigators from the Grovetown Department of Public Safety arrested Buckner and his wife, Amber Buckner, 37, in October 2021 on a state charge of cruelty to children after they were alerted by officers from the Columbia County Board of Education Police. In a subsequent search of the contents of Michael Buckner’s cell phone, investigators and FBI agents discovered photos depicting sexually explicit images of children.
In addition to his federal sentence, Michael Buckner also faces state prosecution for cruelty to children. Amber Buckner is serving a 10-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in December 2022 to a state charge of cruelty to children.
“Our community and its children are much safer with this lengthy prison sentence handed down to Buckner,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We strive every day to protect our children and will continue to use every law enforcement resource available to identify and prosecute individuals who exploit children in such a manner.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Grovetown Department of Public Safety, and the Columbia County Board of Education Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.
Jill E. Steinberg takes oath as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of GeorgiaRead the Press Release
U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall administers the oath of office to Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, in the Federal Courthouse in Augusta, Ga., observed by U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen.
SAVANNAH, GA: Jill E. Steinberg has been sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall administered the oath on February 22, 2023. President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. nominated Steinberg to be U.S. Attorney on October 19, 2022, and the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination on February 16, 2023.
“I am incredibly honored to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “I look forward to working with the outstanding attorneys and staff in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, and members of the community to serve the citizens of the district.”
Steinberg has been a partner at Ballard Spahr LLP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 2021. From 2008 to 2014, and from 2016 to 2021, she served the citizens of Georgia as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Criminal Chief in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. From 2014 to 2016, Steinberg worked at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. where she served as an Attorney Advisor in the National Security Division and then as Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. From 2001 to 2008, she was an associate at Rogers & Hardin LLP in Atlanta, Georgia.
Steinberg began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office from 1998 to 2001. She received her Juris Doctor from Duke University Law School in 1998 and her Bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Georgia in 1995.
As U.S. Attorney, Steinberg is the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Georgia, which covers 43 of Georgia’s 159 counties with a population of more than 1.6 million people and includes the cities of Savannah, Augusta, and Brunswick. She leads a team of approximately 70 attorneys and staff in prosecuting federal crimes in the district and defending the United States in civil cases brought in U.S. District Court. Learn more about the district at www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/about-district.
Ex-prison guard sentenced after admitting she took bribes to allow inmate to receive smuggled itemsRead the Press Release
DUBLIN, GA: A former guard at a private federal corrections facility was sentenced to prison after she admitted to accepting bribes to allow smuggled material into a prison.
Tiffany Fletcher, 36, of McRae, Ga., a former corrections officer and counselor at the privately operated McRae Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 12 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Bribery, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen Jr. also fined Fletcher $1,500 and ordered her to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The illegal smuggling of contraband materials, particularly cell phones, represents a continuing threat to the safety and security of our nation’s correctional facilities,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “We continue to partner with investigative agencies to combat the flow of contraband material into prisons.”
McRae Correctional Facility, in Telfair County, is operated by the private corrections company CoreCivic and houses male inmates under contract with the federal Bureau of Prisons. From June to December 2019, Fletcher admitted accepting bribes totaling $4,390 in return for “turning a blind eye” to smuggling and possession of contraband in the facility.
“We trust Correctional Officers to keep federal prisons safe and secure. By accepting bribes and allowing contraband to enter the prison, Fletcher violated that trust and diminished the safety and security of the entire institution,” said James F. Boyersmith, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Miami Field Office.
The case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcela C. Mateo.
South Georgia man faces substantial prison time after admitting he distributed child pornographyRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA: A Brantley County man faces up to 20 years in prison after admitting he distributed images of child sexual exploitation.
Gary Kreitzman, 35, of Nahunta, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography, said David H. Estes. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Kreitzman’s guilty plea subjects him to a statutory minimum sentence of five years in prison, up to 20; substantial financial penalties and restitution to victims; a requirement to register as a sex offender; and, at least five years of supervised release, up to life, after completion of his prison sentence.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Protection of our most vulnerable citizens is vitally important,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “The vigilance of our law enforcement partners helps ensure our communities are protected from predators like Kreitzman.”
As described in court documents and testimony, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in June 2020 after detecting images of child sexual exploitation uploaded through an online chat application. With assistance from the Brantley County Sheriff’s Office, agents determined the images had been uploaded through an account operated by Kreitzman, and in September 2020 conducted a search of his residence.
During that search, the agents found multiple electronic devices containing images of child sexual activity, and Kreitzman admitted sharing them through the Internet. Pursuant to a federal indictment out of the Southern District of Georgia, the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Brunswick Resident Agency executed the arrest warrant for Kreitzman in September 2022.
Sentencing before U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will be scheduled upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“The GBI will continue to work tirelessly to protect innocent victims of online exploitation,” said Michael Register, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “We are grateful for the partnerships we maintain with our state and federal agencies to bring these predators to justice.”
“The internet is a very important and useful resource, but unfortunately can also be used for illegal activity as criminals like Kreitzman seek to prey on the most vulnerable of our population,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley. “The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue those who seek to victimize children and prosecute those predators to the fullest extent of the law.”
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.
The case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, the Brantley County Sheriff’s Office, and the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons.
Third conspirator convicted at trial for stealing trade secrets from aircraft manufacturersRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: The third defendant in a conspiracy to steal valuable proprietary information from aircraft manufacturers has been found guilty after a three-day trial.
Joseph Pascua, 60, of Escondido, Calif., awaits sentencing after a U.S. District Court jury found him guilty of Conspiracy to Steal Trade Secrets, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Pascua faces a statutory sentence of up to 10 years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties, followed by up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Manufacturers spend millions of dollars and countless hours of employee work time to research, design and develop unique products,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Joseph Pascua and his co-conspirators attempted to shortcut this process by stealing valuable proprietary information to benefit a competitor – and they’re being held accountable for this theft.”
As described at trial, Pascua was one of three defendants who schemed to speed the process for developing and testing an aircraft de-icing design by stealing proprietary information from an aircraft manufacturer. They planned to profit by using stolen information to expedite Federal Aviation Administration certification, and then selling the design to a competing aircraft company.
The three originally were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2019; Pascua’s case initially was dismissed and he was indicted separately in November 2021. He was found guilty by a jury after a three-day trial in Savannah before U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker, and now awaits sentencing upon completion of a pre-sentencing investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
Co-defendant Gilbert Basuldua, 63, of Hilton Head, S.C., is serving an 80-month sentence after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Steal Trade Secrets and Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property, while Craig German, 60, of Kernersville, N.C., is serving a total of 90 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Steal Trade Secrets, and later being found guilty by a jury on charges of Perjury and False Statements to a Government Agency for lying during his initial sentencing hearing.
“The FBI is committed to identifying and prosecuting those who engage in illegal and deceptive practices to steal trade secrets and protected information from companies who spend millions of dollars to develop it,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “As this extensive investigation comes to a close, let these convictions be a reminder that the FBI will not tolerate criminals that violate laws that protect companies and are in place to keep Americans safe.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Darron J. Hubbard.
Lead defendant sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for role in major Augusta-area drug trafficking operationRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA.: The lead defendant in a major methamphetamine-trafficking organization has been sentenced to two decades in federal prison after admitting his participation in a conspiracy related to at least one overdose death.
Jayson Dwayne Wheatley, 42, of Augusta, was sentenced to 240 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, and an Amount of Heroin, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also fined Wheatley $2,500 and ordered him to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“The epidemic of drug overdoses and deaths continues to ravage our nation, and traffickers like Jayson Wheatley pour gasoline on this raging fire while enabling violent crime from the illicit drug trade,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, he and his co-conspirators are being held accountable for their crimes.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Wheatley and his co-defendants were indicted in April 2022 in USA v. Wheatley et. al, based on evidence gathered during the investigation in Operation Wheat Fields. The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation began in early 2018 and identified a pipeline of illegal drugs from Mexico routed through Atlanta and into the Augusta area. The investigation led to multiple searches of residences and hotel rooms, and linked at least one overdose death in the Augusta area to drugs distributed by the conspiracy.
In addition to Wheatley, six other defendants were named in the federal indictment. Two have been sentenced to federal prison; three defendants await sentencing after pleading guilty to related charges. One defendant awaits further court proceedings.
A related indictment in Operation Wheat Fields, USA v. Fields et. al, named 10 additional defendants in October 2022. One of those defendants has entered a guilty plea; the remaining defendants await further court proceedings and are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“ATF will continue to work alongside our federal, state and local partners in furtherance of reducing violent crime,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“These criminal drug organizations deliver misery and death to communities everywhere,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This defendant will no longer be able to distribute the poison that destroys our communities.”
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Operation Wheat Fields was investigated by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office; and the Swainsboro Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney and Criminal Division Chief Patricia G. Rhodes.
Seven newly indicted on federal charges for crimes including drugs and illegal firearms possessionRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Seven defendants are among those facing federal charges including illegal possession of firearms after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in U.S. District Court include guilty pleas and criminal sentences related to illegal gun possession.
The indicted cases are being investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally carry guns.
“An essential component in the fight against violent crime is our effort to keep guns out of the hands of criminals,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to remove from our communities those who threaten the safety of our streets.”
In the past four years, more than 800 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony. Recent federal legislation increases the maximum penalty for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon to 15 years, up from 10, for those found in possession after June 25, 2022.
Defendants named in federal indictments from the February 2023 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:
- Javonte Deshawn Washington, 30, of Savannah, and Nygeria Tasheema Brown, 32, of Savannah, charged with False Statement during the Purchase of a Firearm. Washington also is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, while Brown also is charged with Straw Purchase and with Transfer of a Firearm to a Prohibited Person;
- Melvin Brinson, 29, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine;
- Darrell Lamar Williams, 24, of Claxton, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Calvin Lomont Powell Jr., 21, of Waynesboro, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Lear A. Williams, 33, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Convicted Felon; and,
- Tekayo Spencer, 39, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on federal charges that include illegal firearms possession:
- Gregory Mitchell, 58, of Savannah, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers investigating a report of gunshots arrested Mitchell in November 2020 after finding a pistol in his waistband.
- James Deon Green, 51, of Savannah, was sentenced to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers arrested Green in December 2020 after a traffic stop and foot pursuit when they found a pistol in Green’s waistband.
- Melvin Jamarcus Lanier, 42, of Statesboro, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Statesboro Police officers arrested Lanier in January 2022 during a traffic stop after finding a pistol in his vehicle.
- Devonte Malik Jorame, 25, of Aiken, S.C., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jorame in June 2022 after finding a pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop. Jorame has prior state criminal convictions for domestic violence and gun possession.
Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol.
The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense.
For more information from the ATF on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atfw-form-4473
Laurens County man will pay restitution, face possible federal prison time for disability fraudRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A Laurens County man admitted working several years as a truck driver while claiming federal disability benefits.
Douglas Adam West, 41, of Dexter, Ga., faces a statutory sentence of up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to Theft of Government Property, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The guilty plea requires West to pay $49,863 in restitution, and to serve a period of supervised release following any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Disability fraud is a plague on the system designed to provide a safety net for those truly unable to hold down employment,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Those who abuse that system for their own selfish purposes only make it more difficult for deserving recipients.”
As described in court documents and testimony, West began receiving Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits in September 2004. The Social Security Administration’s Fraud Unit initiated an investigation in August 2018, determining that West had been employed since at least 2015 as a truck driver while continuing to receive disability benefits.
“I am proud of the coordination between our two agencies that led to this guilty plea,” said Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King. “We are committed to ensuring that public benefits go to those truly in need and will continue to crack down on those who abuse the system.”
West faces sentencing before U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen after completion of a pre-sentencing investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the Office of the Georgia Commissioner of Insurance and Fire Safety, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer A. Stanley.
Former U.S. soldier sentenced to life in prison for murder of Fort Stewart servicemember stabbed to death in installation housingRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A former U.S. Army sergeant who admitted he stabbed to death a former fellow soldier in his Fort Stewart barracks room has been sentenced to life in federal prison.
Byron Booker, 29, of Ludowici, Ga., was sentenced to life in prison after previously pleading guilty to Premeditated Murder of a Member of the United States Uniformed Services, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Booker to pay a fine of $2,500 and to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Byron Booker squandered his own military career by illegally using drugs, and then murdered a former fellow soldier in cold blood in retaliation for that soldier honorably performing his duties,” said U.S. Attorney Estes, a retired U.S. Army Colonel. “The sentence of life in prison with no parole will serve a measure of justice for Austin Hawk’s family, while affirming the outstanding investigative work that led to Booker’s conviction.”
Booker’s co-defendant, Jordan Brown, 21, of St. Marys, Ga., awaits sentencing after entering a plea of guilty in December 2022 to Assault Upon a U.S. Servicemember Involving Bodily Injury or a Deadly Weapon, and Retaliation Against a Witness Involving Bodily Injury.
As described in court testimony and in the plea agreements for the defendants, Booker, a former U.S. Army sergeant, admitted he and Brown discussed “silencing” Specialist Austin J. Hawk, 21, at Fort Stewart Military Reservation in retaliation for Hawk reporting Brown to U.S. Army leadership for marijuana use. After gaining entry to Hawk’s barracks room shortly after midnight on June 17, 2020, Booker “slashed and stabbed Hawk repeatedly with a sharp-edged weapon.” A medical examiner noted that Hawk received 40 separate stab or slash wounds, many of them that individually would have been fatal, and cut his own hand during the assault.
Hawk’s body was found in his Fort Stewart barracks room the next day.
“This sentence holds Booker accountable for his actions and hopefully brings some closure to the victim’s family,” said Rusty Higgason, assistant special agent-in-charge of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Southeast Field Office. “This complex investigation is a great example of the close teamwork among Army CID, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Georgia.”
“This sentence represents a measure of justice for Austin Hawk, a man who was murdered for simply following the rules,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hawk’s family and friends will never be rid of the pain this senseless murder has caused them, but hopefully it gives them some sense of resolve to know that Booker will spend the rest of his life in prison.”
U.S. Attorney Estes also commended the work of CID Forensic Science Technicians from Fort Stewart, Fort Bragg, Fort Gordon, and Fort Jackson, and from the analysts with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory and the FBI Crime Lab.
The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI are investigating the case, which is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Darron J. Hubbard.
Savannah man faces prison after admitting to bank robberyRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Chatham County man faces up to 20 years in federal prison after admitting that he robbed a Savannah bank, just seven years after he was sent to state prison for a prior bank robbery.
Shawn Kelly, 45, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to one count of Bank Robbery, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The guilty plea subjects Kelly to a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison and substantial financial penalties, followed by up to three years of supervised release after completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Shawn Kelly is a repeat offender whose actions terrorized bank employees – exactly the type of criminal the city of Savannah sought the help of our office in removing from their streets,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our partnership in bringing on board a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney dedicated to reducing violent crime in Savannah will continue to pay such dividends.”
As described in the plea agreement, Kelly admitted that on Sept. 15, 2022, he entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 136 Bull Street and demanded money from a teller. After receiving $2,200 in cash, he left the bank on foot. Responding officers from the Savannah Police Department located Kelly and found him inside a restroom at the Chatham Area Transit station changing clothes, with the cash from the robbery in his pocket.
Kelly previously was convicted on a state charge of robbery in Gwinnett County and sentenced to prison in 2015. He was on parole from that conviction at the time of the Wells Fargo robbery.
“State prison was apparently not enough of a teaching moment for Kelly because he returned to his bank-robbing ways while he was still on parole for the last bank robbery he committed,’ said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Thanks to the assistance of our partners with the Savannah Police Department, he’ll have up to 20 years in federal prison to think about what he’ll do the next time he is released from prison.”
This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.
The FBI and the Savannah Police Department investigated the case, which is being prosecuted for the United States by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia Jonese and Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Gregory Gilluly Jr.
North Augusta man sentenced to prison for drug traffickingRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A South Carolina man with a substantial history of drug-trafficking convictions has been sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison.
Maurice Antwain Diggs, 43, of North Augusta, S.C., was sentenced to 151 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Heroin, and Marijuana, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Heroin, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Diggs to pay a $2,000 fine and to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Maurice Diggs’ long history of illegal activity is encapsulated in this case in which he was arrested on drug and gun charges while awaiting trial from a previous arrest for guns and drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “It is abundantly clear that he isn’t interested in obeying the law, so the community is safer with him behind bars.”
As described in court documents and proceedings, Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies searched an Augusta apartment occupied by Diggs in October 2019 and found large amounts of drugs and drug-use paraphernalia, along with several thousand dollars in cash and multiple firearms. Diggs was awaiting trial on state charges from that search when a subsequent search in October 2020 of his Augusta motel room found more drugs, guns and cash. Diggs later was indicted on federal charges related to both searches, and subsequently entered a guilty plea on two of the felony charges.
“The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is committed to working with our federal partners in the prosecution of cases where subjects do not take advantage of opportunities of rehabilitation that are afforded to them when they make the choice to break the law,” said Sheriff Richard Roundtree. “We hope these prosecutions will be a deterrent to any subjects who are in Richmond County or travel to our county for the purpose of distributing illegal drugs. If you are discovered, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This case exemplifies our commitment to prevent drug violence and criminal activity from poisoning our communities,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “It also sends a clear message that we will relentlessly pursue and prosecute the leaders and members of these violent drug enterprises.”
The case was investigated by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer A. Stanley and Tara M. Lyons.
Augusta man admits to COVID-19 scheme that netted more than $4 million in loans and grantsRead the Press Release
STATESBORO, GA: A Richmond County man has admitted conducting a scheme to submit fraudulent applications for COVID-19 small business relief funding that netted more than $4 million in payments.
Kamario Thomas, 42, of Augusta, is charged by a criminal Information with Conspiracy, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The guilty plea to the felony charge subjects Thomas to a statutory penalty of up to five years in federal prison followed by up to three years of supervised release, along with substantial financial penalties and restitution to the U.S. government. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This conviction represents the continuing, vigorous pursuit of those who undeservedly accessed government funding for struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “In collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we will hold responsible those who attempt to illegally profit from these programs.”
The 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided more than $650 billion in funding for qualifying small businesses facing financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, with grants and forgivable loans available through the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).
In his plea agreement, Thomas admits that he completed false and fraudulent EIDL applications for himself, and that he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks in return for completing and submitting fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications on behalf of his co-conspirators. To create those applications, Thomas fabricated IRS forms and tax records.
In total, the scheme caused the disbursement of more than $4 million in fraudulent CARES Act loans and grants.
“Using the Small Business Administration’s programs fraudulently undermines the spirit and true intent of bolstering the backbone of the nation’s economy: small businesses,” said SBA Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite. “OIG is committed to rooting out bad actors and protecting the integrity of SBA programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”
“In far too many cases, greedy opportunists took advantage of the PPP, diverting much-needed funds away from those businesses that desperately needed it,” said James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “This plea signals the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force will continue pursuing and holding accountable those who chose greed over compassion for their fellow Americans who faced economic distress during the COVID pandemic.”
“CARES Act funds were intended to help people and businesses harmed by the pandemic, not to line the pockets of overly greedy professionals,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is continuing to work with our partners to do everything in our power to make sure stolen funds are returned to the public, and individuals who were involved in this type of criminal behavior are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“The defendant used deceit and fraud to obtain loans that he was not entitled to receive for his own financial gain,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “This guilty plea is a reminder that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to investigating individuals for these types of crimes and holding the offenders accountable.”
“An important mission of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General is to investigate fraud related to COVID-19 benefit programs. Through collaboration and leveraging of resources the federal law enforcement community has continued to make great strides in holding COVID-19 fraudsters accountable,” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to safeguard COVID-19 benefit programs, including unemployment compensation benefit programs, for those who need them the most.”
The case is being investigated by the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenifer A. Stanley.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Nine newly indicted on federal charges for crimes including drugs and illegal firearms possessionRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Nine defendants are among those facing federal charges including illegal possession of firearms after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in U.S. District Court include guilty pleas and criminal sentences related to illegal gun possession.
The indicted cases are being investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally carry guns.
“Convicted felons illegally carrying firearms are significantly involved in violent crime plaguing our communities,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to make our streets safer by putting such people behind bars.”
In the past four years, more than 800 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony. Recent federal legislation increases the maximum penalty for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon to 15 years, up from 10, for those found in possession after June 25, 2022.
Defendants named in federal indictments from the January 2023 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:
- Akeem Ajmia Lanier, 34, of Metter, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime;
- Dexcadrick Graddy, 25, of Dublin, Ga., charged with Distribution of Fentanyl; Distribution of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl; Possession with Intent to Distribute Metonitazine (a fentanyl analog), and Eutylone (bath salts); Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Metonitazine; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime;
- Milton Parker III, 36, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Michael Floyd, 30, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Reginald General Jackson, 36, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Tyrique Marquez Mills, 25, of Waycross, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Robert Sanders, 65, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Tony Lavardo Blount Jr., 32, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and,
- Terrance Webster Dunn, 32, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on federal charges that include illegal firearms possession:
- Raheem DaSheen Jackson, 31, of Savannah, was sentenced to 116 months in prison after his conviction at trial of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A jury convicted Jackson of the charge Aug. 17, 2022, where court testimony from Savannah Police officers described Jackson running from a January 2021 traffic stop and dropping a pistol as he fled. Jackson, who was adjudicated to be an Armed Career Criminal because of multiple prior felony convictions including illegal gun possession, faced a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
- Daquan Dwayne Young, 27, of Savannah, was sentenced to 100 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers arrested Young after a March 2022 traffic stop when they found a pistol in his waistband.
- James Wayne Cooper Jr., 37, of Waynesboro, Ga., was sentenced to 44 months in prison and fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Burke County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Cooper in October 2020 after Cooper drove into a field and attempted to run away from a traffic stop. Deputies found a loaded pistol in Cooper’s vehicle.
- Cody Truitt Devore, 24, of Sylvania, Ga., was sentenced to 32 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Devore was on federally supervised release from a prior firearms conviction in January 2022 when Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop and found two rifles in his vehicle.
- Maurice Brown, 21, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In July 2022, Brown sped away from an attempted traffic stop in Savannah by a Georgia State Patrol trooper and later ran from the vehicle. Savannah Police officers found him hiding in a nearby home, and found a pistol under the driver’s seat of the vehicle Brown was driving.
- Christopher Donnell Crumbley, 34, of Waynesboro, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Burke County sheriff’s deputies arrested Crumbley on outstanding criminal warrants in Dec. 2021 and found three pistols in his possession.
- Dontrell Kydreek Mathis, 30, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies found two pistols in Mathis’ vehicle after a traffic stop in Aug. 2022.
- Trevor Elijah Walker, 24, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies were attempting to serve arrest warrants on Walker in November 2019 when he ran away, dropping a pistol as he fled.
- Windsor Hodge, 64, of Martinez, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies searched Hodge’s residence on a warrant in January 2022 and found 13 firearms. Hodge previously was convicted of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, a felony.
- Deontre Hubert, 28, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Hubert had a pistol in his waistband in June 2022 when pulled over by Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies for a traffic violation. He previously was convicted in state court of Involuntary Manslaughter, a felony.
- Marshall Lee Cushman, 39, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent retrieved a rifle from an Avera, Ga., residence in September 2021, and Cushman admitted leaving the gun there. Cushman has multiple prior felony convictions.
- Titus Nathaniel Travis, 23, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Travis was on probation from a prior felony conviction in June 2022 when Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies, FBI agents and officers from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision searched Titus’ residence and found two pistols and a rifle. Travis is a member of a Bloods-affiliated criminal street gang.
- David Alexander Harris, 42, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Eutylone and Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Harris in March 2020 after finding him asleep at the wheel of his vehicle at a traffic light. A pistol was lying in Harris’ lap.
Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol.
The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense.
For more information from the ATF on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atfw-form-4473
Lead defendant in Richmond County meth-trafficking conspiracy sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prisonRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A Georgia prison inmate who led an Augusta-area methamphetamine-trafficking ring has been sentenced to more than two decades in federal prison.
Magnum Jelani Neely, 38, of Millen, Ga., an inmate at Dooly State Prison, was sentenced to 278 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Neely to pay a $2,500 fine and to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Magnum Neely orchestrated a large-scale meth distribution operation from behind bars while serving a 10-year state sentence for violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “This investigation dismantled that drug-trafficking operation, and substantial federal sentences hold these drug dealers accountable.”
As described in court documents and testimony, agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in November 2021 joined investigators from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office in identifying Neely as coordinating a methamphetamine trafficking operation from inside prison. Neely used contraband cell phones to contact couriers outside prison to deliver drugs to buyers both inside and outside Georgia prisons. The Georgia Department of Corrections assisted in the investigation, and Neely and three co-conspirators were indicted in April 2022. All four defendants admitted guilt.
The three co-conspirators include:
- Patricia Gregory, 45, of Augusta, was sentenced to 87 months in prison and fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Fanesia Smith, 39, of Augusta, was sentenced to 48 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; and,
- Yvonne Smith, 58, of Augusta – mother of Fanesia Smith – awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Misprision of a Felony for knowing of, and helping to conceal, the criminal activity of the conspiracy.
“DEA is fully committed to tirelessly pursuing criminals who sell drugs, whether they’re selling them on the streets or from inside a prison,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy.
“We appreciate the support of our local and federal partners in ensuring that justice will be served on this individual for his role in jeopardizing the safe operations of our facilities, and most importantly, the safety of the public,” said Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Department of Corrections, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah L. Johnson
Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Join Forces to Disrupt Violent Crime, Firearms, and Drug Trafficking in Multiple Jurisdictions Across the CountryRead the Press Release
“Today, the Justice Department has taken several significant enforcement actions to disrupt large-scale illegal gun and drug trafficking operations,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to all of the Department’s agents, prosecutors, and staff involved in these actions, as well as to our state and local partners, for their tireless work. The actions taken today represent the work that is being done by this Department every single day to disrupt violent crime, combat gun violence, and get deadly fentanyl out of our communities.”
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a seven-count indictment was unsealed charging David Mccann, Tajhai Jones, Raymond Minaya, and Calvin Tabron with allegedly conspiring to illegally traffic more than 50 firearms. Mccann and Minaya are also charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; Mccann is additionally charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Mccann, Jones, Minaya, and Tabron were arrested this morning. Mccann and Minaya are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl. Jones and Tabron will be arraigned in Virginia.
This prosecution is the first in New York, and among the first in the country, to charge the gun trafficking provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress and the President enacted in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target gun trafficking. Among other provisions, it creates a standalone firearm trafficking conspiracy offense, which the government has charged in this case to hold accountable those who conspire to illegally sell firearms. The Act provides for sentences of up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
Read more about the case here.
In the Northern District of West Virginia today, two Baltimore-based drug trafficking organizations that supplied large amounts of fentanyl to West Virginia and caused at least two deaths have been dismantled by separate federal indictments that were unsealed today.
Thirty-four people from Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia were indicted on charges related to the sale of fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs in Hampshire County and Mineral County. The drugs distributed led to a spike in overdoses in the region, both fatal and non-fatal. Much of the fentanyl had high levels of purity and had a purple tint to distinguish it from drugs sold by competitors.
In the first indictment, Kentrel Anthony Rollins, aka T-Rock, 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, is alleged to be the leader of a fentanyl distribution operation in Hampshire County and elsewhere from January 2020 to October 2021. Court documents show that in addition to the sale of drugs, there was firearms trafficking and the trading of guns for drugs. Many of the firearms were acquired by a straw purchaser on behalf of the organization. 12 people are charged in this matter, which also includes the alleged trafficking of heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.
In the second indictment, Sean Jarred Davis, 31, also of Baltimore, is alleged to be the leader of a conspiracy to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, as well as heroin, in Hampshire County and elsewhere from February 2021 to January 2023. A total of 22 individuals are charged in the case.
Read more about the case here.
And in the Southern District of Georgia today, 76 defendants are named in a newly unsealed federal indictment describing a massive drug trafficking investigation tied to the Ghost Face Gangsters criminal street gang that includes allegations of multiple deaths from illegal drug overdoses.
As announced today at a multi-agency news conference held at Glynn County Police Department Headquarters in Brunswick, Georgia, the indictment in USA v. Alvarez et. al, dubbed Operation Ghost Busted, charges 76 defendants with involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and alprazolam in the greater Glynn County area. The primary conspiracy charge in the indictment carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, up to life, along with substantial financial penalties and a period of supervised release following any prison term.
Read more about the case here.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty
Fort Stewart soldier sentenced to prison for prolific fraud scheme targeting COVID-19 relief programs, student loansRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Stewart has been sentenced to federal prison for leading a prolific fraud scheme in which she and others illegally raked in millions of dollars from COVID-19 relief programs and federal student loan forgiveness.
Dara Buck, a/k/a Dara Butler, 39, of Ladson, S.C., a U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 stationed at Fort Stewart, was sentenced to 42 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit an Offense Against the United States, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Buck to pay restitution of $3,680,247 and to serve three years of supervised release at the completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“While serving in the U.S. Army, Dara Buck engaged in a massive scheme to defraud the taxpayers of the nation she was sworn to serve,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “With our law enforcement partners, we are committed to identifying and holding accountable those who defraud COVID-19 relief programs to feed their self-serving greed.”
As described in court documents, from August 2017 through May 2021, Buck led a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and to secure the fraudulent discharge of federal student loans using falsified disability claims.
Buck admitted submitting more than 150 fraudulent PPP loan applications to the Small Business Administrating for herself and others in the conspiracy, resulting in more than $3 million in fraudulent disbursements from banks to members of the conspiracy. Buck directly received fraudulently obtained PPP funding, or was paid by conspirators for submitting their fraudulent applications.
In addition, conspirators paid Buck to submit falsified U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs certifications for total and permanent disability to the U.S. Department of Education in order to fraudulently secure the discharge of more than a dozen student loans totaling more than $1 million.
“Individuals that conspire to defraud Small Business Administration programs will be brought to justice and face the consequences of their illicit activity,” said SBA Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “I want to thank the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”
"This sentencing sends a clear message to those who defraud the U.S. Government and squander valuable taxpayer dollars,” stated Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “I applaud the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our investigative partners on this case.”
“This sentence holds the defendant accountable for her large scale fraud scheme that impacted multiple federal agencies and robbed the taxpayers of millions of dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG is committed to investigating anyone who would exploit VA’s programs and services to fraudulently enrich themselves. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold wrongdoers accountable.”
“We will continue to aggressively pursue those who defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program which was funded by taxpayers and designed to assist businesses during the pandemic,” said J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. “We appreciate the efforts by our federal partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold these individuals to account.”
“Federal student aid exists so that individuals can make their dream of a higher education a reality. Ensuring that those who steal student aid through fraud or other means are stopped and held accountable for their criminal actions is a big part of our mission. Dara Buck willfully defrauded America’s taxpayers and students in a deliberate and methodical way, and her sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who intentionally steals or misappropriates Federal student aid dollars: you will be caught and held accountable for your unlawful actions,” said Reginald J. France, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Southeastern Regional Office. “I’m proud of the work of the Office of Inspector General and our law enforcement partners for their work in this case.”
The case was investigated by the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General; the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General; and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan C. Grover.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Final defendant sentenced in gang-related South Georgia meth-trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: The final sentence in a major methamphetamine trafficking operation signals the end of a prosecution that saw nearly three dozen defendants sent to prison after pleading guilty.
Kristin Sheppard, a/k/a “Kristin Shine,” a/k/a “K Shine,” 32, of Savannah, was sentenced 111 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Prior to Sheppard’s sentencing, Michael Brandon Sharpe, 46, of Pembroke, Ga., was sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, while William Hamilton, a/k/a “Hambone,” 42, of Guyton, Ga., was sentenced to 126 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Our law enforcement partners built Operation Stranded Bandit on the foundation of prior investigations dismantling a network of drug traffickers operating inside and outside prisons to bring large quantities of methamphetamine to coastal Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Getting gun-carrying drug traffickers off our streets, particularly those with gang affiliations, is a vital part of protecting our communities from violent crime.”
Sheppard, Sharpe and Hamilton are among 35 defendants indicted in USA v. Baker et. al, dubbed Operation Stranded Bandit. Unsealed in December 2020, the indictment describes an investigation that grew from other major gang-related drug trafficking prosecutions in Operation Vanilla Gorilla and Operation Who’s Laughing Now, and targeted conspiracies to import illegal drugs from Mexico and route them through Atlanta and into the greater Savannah area. The investigations and prosecutions, coordinated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), determined that multiple criminal street gangs, including the Ghost Face Gangsters, collaborated from inside and outside prisons using contraband cell phones to arrange drug transportation, delivery and distribution throughout coastal Georgia.
Sheppard and Sharpe admitted to serving as a methamphetamine couriers and dealers, while Hamilton served as an armed bodyguard for other drug couriers. All three defendants have multiple prior felony convictions involving drugs.
Of the 35 defendants indicted in Operation Stranded Bandit, 34 pled guilty and were sentenced to terms of incarceration of up to 292 months in prison, while one defendant’s case was transferred to state court.
“This case brought down a significant methamphetamine distribution network operating in and around Savannah,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “The citizens of Savannah are no doubt safer because of this prosecution. I applaud the thorough investigation conducted by our federal, state, and local partners which resulted in 35 convictions and lengthy sentences in this case.”
“DEA’s involvement in dismantling this notoriously violent gang set is a prime example of how federal, state and local law enforcement partnerships work collaboratively to confront, engage and eliminate drug trafficking,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta Field Division. “Agents left no stone unturned and pursued every investigative lead to ensure these criminals were brought to justice.”
“Illegal drugs and criminal street gangs have no place in Georgia,” said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Mike Register. “These defendants were part of a criminal enterprise that has been threatening the safety of communities for years. We will continue to work diligently along with our local and federal partners to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and criminal street gangs.”
The case was investigated by agencies including the ATF, the DEA, the GBI, and the Savannah-Chatham Counter Narcotics Team, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, and the Richmond Hill Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly Jr. and Jennifer J. Kirkland.
Chatham County man sentenced to decades in federal prison for producing, possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA: A Chatham County man has been sentenced to nearly 30 years in federal prison after admitting to multiple charges of child sexual exploitation.
Rodney Bryant, 38, of Savannah, was sentenced to 336 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Production of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Bryant to pay $413,800 in restitution to four victims, to register as a sex offender, and to serve 15 years of supervised release after completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Rodney Bryant is a dangerous predator who exploited multiple children by sharing images of sexual abuse through the internet’s electronic cesspool,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “The dedicated work of our law enforcement partners ensures our communities will be safer with this criminal behind bars.”
Bryant had been scheduled for trial in June 2022 when he opted to plead guilty to two child exploitation charges. As described in court documents and testimony, agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Savannah Police Department searched Bryant’s residence in 2020 after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided CyberTip reports regarding the origin of images of child sexual abuse to the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Following those leads, investigators identified Bryant and later seized dozens of electronic devices from his home, finding thousands of images of child sexual abuse and child erotica on those devices. The investigation determined Bryant produced many of those images in Georgia and while stationed with the U.S. Army in Fort Drum, N.Y.
“Bryant is a predator who not only abused children, but he also recorded these horrible acts for others to see. Thankfully, he will no longer be able to continue his deplorable acts of abuse and we all can breathe a little easier,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI and its partners will continue to find, arrest and prosecute those who seek to exploit our most vulnerable population.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Savannah Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons.
This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood. Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.
South Georgia man sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for drug, gun feloniesRead the Press Release
WAYCROSS, GA: An Atkinson County man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison after admitting to charges involving methamphetamine trafficking and illegal gun possession.
Juan Eloy Quintanilla, 29, of Willacoochee, Ga., was sentenced to 135 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Five or More Grams of Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Quintanilla to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“This sentence of hard time in federal prison sends the unmistakable message that we will not tolerate convicted felons continuing to commit crimes and threatening the safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Drugs and illegally possessed guns fuel violent crime, and getting such criminals off the street will make our neighborhoods safer.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Quintanilla was on felony probation on drug charges in August 2021 when Coffee County Sheriff’s deputies searched Quintanilla’s vehicle during a traffic stop and arrested him after finding drugs and a loaded pistol. During a subsequent search of his residence, Atkinson County Sheriff’s deputies seized methamphetamine, a rifle, ammunition, and drug-distribution paraphernalia.
“Despite prior felony convictions, Quintanilla continued to plague our communities with drugs and the crimes that result from them,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are determined to make our streets safer by removing violent felons and holding them accountable with long prison terms without the opportunity for parole.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcela C. Mateo.
Two sentenced to federal prison in separate cases for fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief fundingRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A former soldier paid for submitting false information to obtain COVID-19 relief funding and a Camden County woman who received funding after providing fake documents have been sentenced to federal prison.
Jerrod Bellamy, 26, of Savannah, was sentenced to 22 months in prison and ordered to pay $223,807.14 in restitution after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy and Filing a False Tax Return, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Bellamy admitted he provided false information in his personal tax return, fraudulently obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, and conspired with others to fraudulently obtain PPP loans for them. He also received more than $50,000 in kickbacks for helping co-conspirators fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funding. At the time of his offenses, Bellamy was a Specialist in the U.S. Army and stationed at Hunter Army Airfield. He since has been discharged.
In a separate case, Roshawnda Richardson, 29, of Waverly, Ga., was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay $166,665.50 in restitution after previously pleading guilty to Wire Fraud. Richardson admitted participating in a scheme to fraudulently obtain PPP funding for two businesses.
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ordered Bellamy and Richardson to each serve three years of supervised release after completion of their prison terms, and there is no parole in the federal system.
“These sentences, with restitution representing the scope of these defendant’s thefts from the American people, serve as a warning to other scam artists who used fraud to received small-business relief funding,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold accountable those who have siphoned off funds from this assistance program.”
Since passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, in March 2020, and its subsequent funding of more than $6.5 billion, the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office has federally prosecuted more than 40 defendants for fraudulently obtaining PPP funding or Economic Injury Disaster Loans through Small Business Administration.
“These sentences show that individuals will be prosecuted when they break the law,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Scott Moreland, Army Criminal Investigation Division Major Procurement Fraud Field Office. “It should send a message to those who are tempted to defraud the government that CID and its federal law enforcement partners are committed to rooting out fraud.”
“Schemers who stole taxpayer dollars from SBA ‘s Paycheck Protection Program will be brought to justice,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “These sentences demonstrate that those responsible will be held accountable. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s office and our law enforcement partners for their support and dedication to pursuing justice in this case.”
“Those who choose to fraudulently utilize government assistance for their own personal gain undermine the efficacy and integrity of programs designed to support those who are dire need of government relief,” stated Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “DCIS and our investigative partners will continue to hold those accountable who exploit these programs for selfish gain.”
“The U.S. Secret Service’s collaboration with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners continue to demonstrate our commitment to pursuing the bad actors who choose to exploit the systems created to help those effected by COVID-19 pandemic,” said Craig Reno, Resident Agent in Charge of the Savannah Resident Office. “The results of these cases will serve as a deterrent to fraudsters, and let them know they will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The cases were investigated by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Secret Service, and prosecuted for the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Seven newly indicted on federal charges for crimes including drugs and illegal firearms possessionRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Seven defendants are among those facing federal charges including illegal possession of firearms after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in U.S. District Court include guilty pleas and criminal sentences related to illegal gun possession.
The indicted cases are being investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally carry guns.
“As we continue the fight against violent crime in the Southern District, we commend our law enforcement partners for their efforts in getting guns out of the hands of those previously convicted of felonies,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Keeping our communities safe remains our top priority.”
In the past four years, more than 800 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony. Recent federal legislation increases the maximum penalty for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon to 15 years, up from 10, for those found in possession after June 25, 2022.
Defendants named in federal indictments from the December 2022 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:
- Olajuwon Raheem Williams, 25, of Augusta, charged with Kidnapping; Use of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Zion Howard, 22, of Augusta, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and an amount of Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Dequan Dante Payne, 31, of Augusta, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Demmerio Swint, 28, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Darvin Preston Morris, 38, of Townsend, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Antonio D’Avaris Bowens, 34, of Gray, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, a charge related to a prior conviction for domestic violence; and,
- Brandon McCall Williams, 31, of Savannah, charged with Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment.
Indictments naming additional defendants recently were unsealed following initial court appearances:
- Derrick Drurell Long, 32, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Horatio Trimane Bynes, 65, of Augusta, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Marijuana; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Kevon Quantae Davis, 23, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Reco Casey, a/k/a “Rico,” 33, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Daquan Marquise Rolack, 25, of Grovetown, Ga., charged with two counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, and two counts of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime;
- Jared Tyrese Adger, 23, of Augusta, charged with Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment;
- Dontrell Kydreek Mathis, 30, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of Cocaine.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on federal charges that include illegal firearms possession:
- Kareem M. Harris, 38, of Savannah, was sentenced to 90 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers arrested Harris in August 2021 after a brief vehicle and foot chase. He had been sought in relation to an early-morning shooting in July 2021 in Ellis Square in which one person was wounded. Harris has a substantial criminal history including drugs, guns and obstructing police, and state charges including aggravated assault are pending.
- Jonathan McGregor, 46, of Woodbine, Ga., was sentenced to 72 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Heroin, and Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. Kingsland Police officers arrested McGregor in November 2020 after finding a loaded pistol, two rifles, drugs and cash in his vehicle during a traffic stop.
- Gilberto Mojica-Ravelo, 37, of Savannah, was sentenced to 68 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Mojica-Ravelo, who has a previous state conviction on gang charges, was charged following a Dec. 2019 domestic dispute in which Savannah Police officers found a semiautomatic pistol with a high-capacity magazine in his vehicle.
- Trevor Watson, 31, of Sylvania, was sentenced to 21months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Drug User. Watson was indicted in October 2021 along with eight other defendants in Operation Washout, a drug-trafficking investigation by the Burke County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
- Davonta Johnson, 31, of Hinesville, Ga., was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to False Statement During Purchase of a Firearm, and Possession of Firearms by a Prohibited Person, relating to a prior conviction for domestic violence. Johnson admitted that he lied in May 2020 about his prior conviction while purchasing a pistol at a Bullock County pawn shop. Hinesville Police arrested Johnson two months later during a traffic stop and found two pistols in his vehicle.
- Charles Dean Jones, 26, of Grovetown, Ga., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A Georgia State Patrol trooper charged Jones in November 2021 after an attempted traffic stop, pursuit and crash of the motorcycle Jones was riding in Columbia County. Police found a loaded pistol in the backpack Jones was wearing.
- Seth Patrick Anderson, a/k/a “Shane Anderson,” a/k/a “AB,” 37, of Hinesville, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Long County sheriff’s deputies arrested Anderson in October 2021 at a license checkpoint after finding a pistol in the vehicle he was driving. Anderson is a member of the Aryan Brotherhood white supremacist street gang.
- Rondell Smith,a/k/a “Rondal Smith,” 27, of Hephzibah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Smith in February 2022 after finding a pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop. At the time of his arrest, Smith was on supervised release from a 2017 federal conviction for Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
- Alonzo Ware Henderson, 37, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies investigating a disturbance at a convenience store arrested Henderson in August 2021 after finding a pistol in his pocket. Henderson has multiple prior felony convictions involving violence, drugs and firearms.
- Joshua Jerome Russell, 27, of Swainsboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Discharging a Firearm in a School Zone. A Johnson County Sheriff’s office investigator arrested Russell in August 2022 after seeing Russell exit his vehicle at a Johnson County High School football game, point a pistol in the air and fire multiple times, causing a panic at the stadium.
- Tareem Burgess, 39, of Hephzibah, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Burgess after a traffic stop in August 2020 when they found a pistol in his vehicle. Burgess has prior convictions for robbery and family violence.
- Deon Brown, 31, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Brown in August 2021 at his residence and found drugs and multiple handguns in his vehicle. Brown has prior convictions for drugs and gun possession.
- Donald Lorenzo Evans Jr., 44, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Evans in May 2020 after finding drugs and a pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop. Evans has prior convictions for drug trafficking and domestic violence.
- Dwight Eady, 40, of Milan, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon. Eady was arrested in September 2020 after running from a Georgia State Patrol traffic stop in Telfair County. Telfair County Sheriff’s deputies and a Georgia Department of Natural Resources warden later found Eady in a wooded area, along with drugs, ammunition and a semi-automatic pistol. Eady has prior federal and state felony convictions for drug trafficking.
- Corii Arkeem Bussey, 32, and Darnell Dwight Brown, 30, both of Augusta, await sentencing after pleading guilty to felony charges following a December 2021 shootout at an Augusta convenience store in which a U.S. Postal Service worker and her vehicle were caught in the crossfire. Bussey pled guilty to Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding a Federal Employee and faces up to 20 years in prison, while Brown pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a User of Illegal Drugs and faces up to 10 years in prison.
- Christopher Napolian Middleton, 34, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers arrested Middleton in December 2021 while responding to a report of a man brandishing a firearm and found a pistol in Middleton’s pocket.
- Jamar Lavelle Alexander, 35, of Crawfordville, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Taliaferro County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Alexander in November 2020 after finding him passed out behind the wheel of a car parked in the middle of a county highway with a loaded pistol in his lap. Alexander previously was convicted on state charges of weapons possession.
- Ephelius Artavis Brinson Jr., 28, of Hephzibah, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Brinson in June 2022 after he fled from a traffic stop, leaving behind a backpack containing a loaded pistol and drugs.
- Diemond Dajion Wimberly, 25, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Wimberly during an April 2022 traffic stop after finding a pistol with a high-capacity magazine in the vehicle.
Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol.
The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense.
For more information from the ATF on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atfw-form-4473
Gun-carrying felon sentenced to maximum prison termRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Chatham County man with a violent criminal history has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally carrying a gun.
Dontray Lewis, 43, of Savannah, was sentenced to 120 months in prison after a federal jury previously convicted him of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Lewis to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Despite multiple trips to jail and to prison for crimes including guns, violence and drugs, Dontray Lewis has refused abundant opportunities to reform,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Hard time in prison will give him more time to reflect on his future activities while keeping the community safe from this violent criminal.”
A U.S. District Court jury convicted Lewis in August 2020 after a three-day trial, finding him guilty of illegally possessing a Glock semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine. Savannah Police officers found the pistol in Lewis’ vehicle after he at first fled from a traffic stop in May 2020. As a previously convicted felon, Lewis is prohibited from possessing firearms.
“This sentence is a direct message to criminals that ATF will not allow egregious violations of our laws go unpunished. If you a felon with a gun, you will be targeted, and we will ensure that you are prosecuted and removed from our streets,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Savannah Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank M. Pennington II and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Daron J. Hubbard.
This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.
Gang member, purported rapper sentenced to federal prison for COVID-19 relief fraudRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Chatham County gang member with a violent criminal history has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay back the federal government after admitting to COVID-19 relief funding fraud.
Brandon Lamar Williams, a/k/a “NH Skilo,” 30, of Savannah, was sentenced to 60 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Wire Fraud, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. also ordered Williams to pay restitution of $46,522 and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Brandon Williams is a multi-time felon who scammed money from American taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Perhaps he can contemplate more honest future endeavors while he’s being held accountable behind bars.”
As described in court documents and proceedings, Williams, who performs under the name NH Skilo, in mid-2021 provided false information in loan applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for economic assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act’s Paycheck Protection Program. Williams obtained more than $40,000 from a lender participating in the program.
A member of the Crips criminal street gang, Williams has a long, violent criminal history that includes possession of illegal guns and drugs, with multiple prior sentences to state and federal prison.
“The Office of Inspector General continues to identify and bring to justice wrongdoers who seek to utilize falsified information to illegally benefit from SBA programs,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “OIG remains committed to rooting out bad actors and protecting the integrity of SBA programs every day. I am continually grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its leadership and dedication to shining a light on darkness wherever it may be.”
“The sentence Mr. Williams received represents the seriousness of his crime and serves to deter individuals who choose to circumvent federal and local laws for personal gain,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with assistance from the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Architect of multi-million-dollar education fraud involving scuba dive shops sentenced to years in federal prisonRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A defendant who supervised a scheme to defraud more than $6 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education programs through scuba diving schools has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison.
Kenneth Meers, 55, of Altamonte Springs, Fla., was sentenced to 54 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Meers to pay restitution of $6,085,918.08, and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The VA administers a robust program to provides educational benefits for those who have served their country, opening access to substantial career and enrichment opportunities for veterans,” said U.S. Attorney Estes, a retired U.S. Army Colonel. “Kenneth Meers and his co-conspirators circumvented the rules designed to protect that funding, purely for their personal enrichment, and they justly are being held accountable for their crimes.”
The six defendants charged in the case, all of whom have entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court, are owners, managers, and/or instructors at Scooba Shack in Savannah and Richmond Hill, Ga., or at Diver’s Den in St. Marys, Ga. In those capacities, the individuals caused false submissions to be made to the Department of Veterans Affairs, misstating the businesses’ compliance with VA regulations, dates of students’ attendance, and hours of instructions, among other misinformation. Some of the defendants also participated in creating fictitious scholarship programs to provide the appearance that a required percentage of non-VA students participated in those classes. The businesses billed the VA up to more than $20,000 per veteran student enrollee for the classes.
Meers was a school certifying official and course director at Scooba Shack in Savannah and Richmond Hill, Ga., from about May 2018 to April 2021, and became a consultant at Diver’s Den in St. Mary’s, Ga., around May 2020 and an instructor from about June 2021 to February 2022. Meers prepared and submitted Scooba Shack’s application and course catalog for VA approval, and developed Diver’s Den’s program, knowing that those applications contained false information. He also directed other defendants to create the fake scholarships that were used to mask the percentage of students receiving VA education benefits.
Judith Lanoue, 59, and Robert Lanoue, 63, both of Savannah, operated Scooba Shack and were previously sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to related charges. They were also ordered to pay $3,228,921.53 in restitution. Their employee, David Anderegg, 42, of Richmond Hill, Ga., was previously sentenced to probation and ordered to pay $20,497 in restitution.
Two other defendants – Theresa Whitlock, 55, of St. Marys, Ga., and John Spyker, 39, of Yulee, Fla., await sentencing after entering guilty pleas. Whitlock operated Diver’s Den and served as a school certifying official, providing false information to the VA about Diver’s Den’s diving programs, and submitting claims to the VA for tuition payments totaling more than $1.1 million, while Spyker, a School Certifying Official and Director of Training at Diver’s Den, admitted submitting false and fraudulent information to the VA for tuition payments totaling $722,399.19.
“Safeguarding Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefit funds is a priority, and our investigators work diligently to ensure this vital program is not exploited for financial gain and greed. This significant sentence holds the defendant accountable and highlights the severity of the penalties of such fraudulent activities,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who would defraud VA’s programs and services.”
“This sentencing sends a strong message to those who defraud programs that benefit our veterans,” stated Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “DCIS will continue to work closely with our investigative partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure individuals who selfishly enrich themselves at the expense of our veterans and military personnel are brought to justice.”
The case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and is being prosecuted for the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Methamphetamine, heroin trafficking conspiracy alleged in newly unsealed federal indictmentRead the Press Release
CORRECTED BELOW To note defendant Keith Wheeler Jr. is 31 years old.
DUBLIN, GA: A newly unsealed federal indictment charges 13 people with participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy distributing large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin in the Laurens County area.
The indictment in USA v. Martin et. al, follows a nearly three-year investigation by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, into drug trafficking in and around Laurens, Johnson, Treutlen, Emanuel, and Washington counties, and elsewhere, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The 27-count indictment charges each of the defendants with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, a charge that upon conviction carries a statutory penalty of up to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Investigators from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and the DEA performed outstanding work in identifying and bringing to justice those alleged to be responsible for a significant amount of drug trafficking in the greater Dublin area,” U.S. Attorney Estes said. “These collaborations with our law enforcement partners continue to send the message that we will be relentless in protecting our communities from drug trafficking and the violent crime it spawns.”
The indictment was unsealed after initial court appearances for each of the defendants. They include:
- Travis Lee Martin, a/k/a “Fat,” 41, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; four counts of Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; two counts of Distribution of Heroin; four counts of Distribution of 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and three counts of Use of Communication Facility, related to use of a telephone on behalf of the conspiracy. Martin’s indictment includes a Notice of Enhanced Punishment, noting that he is subject to increased punishment if convicted because he previously was convicted of one or more serious drug or serious violent felonies.
- Lashondria Letrecee Roberts, 37, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Sentell Eugene Carey, 39, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Ikavian Dankevious Carey, a/k/a “Big Mike,” a/k/a “Man,” 25, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Ricardo Jerome Taylor, a/k/a “Mike,” a/k/a “Spook,” 41, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Travis Keith Wheeler Jr., 31, of Soperton, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; and two counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine;
- Travon Lamont Burger, 41, of Dublin, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Carmen Michelle Oxford, 40, of East Dublin, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number;
- Gerald Keith Downard, 45, of East Dublin, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number;
- Kendrick Lavar Dixon, a/k/a “Ken,” 41, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Jacquelyn Amelia Brewer, a/k/a “Amy,” 50, of Dexter, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; and one count of Use of Communication Facility;
- Nicole Tinagero Gregory, 35, of Swainsboro, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Distribution of Heroin; and Distribution of Methamphetamine; and,
- Erika Lashandria Tobridge, 43, of Dublin, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; four counts of Distribution of Heroin; and Possession with Intent to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin.
The indictment includes a forfeiture notice regarding two firearms and $86,297 in cash seized during searches as part of the investigation. Nearly 100 dogs suspected to be involved in a dog-fighting operation also were seized during the investigation; that case is being prosecuted separately.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by agencies including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland and Jerimiah S. Johnson.
Second former U.S. soldier admits guilt in attack that killed Fort Stewart servicememberRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A former U.S. Army service member has admitted his involvement in a plot that led to the stabbing death of a former fellow soldier whose body was found in his Fort Stewart barracks room in June 2020.
Jordan Brown, 21, of St. Marys, Ga., awaits sentencing after entering a plea of guilty to Assault Upon a U.S. Servicemember Involving Bodily Injury or a Deadly Weapon, and Retaliation Against a Witness Involving Bodily Injury, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The terms of the plea agreement, which U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker will consider at sentencing in deciding whether to accept the plea, subject Brown to a sentence of not less than 198 months in prison, nor more than 240 months, along with potential fines and restitution, followed by three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Brown’s co-defendant, Byron Booker, 29, of Ludowici, Ga., awaits sentencing after previously pleading guilty to Premeditated Murder of a Member of the United States Uniformed Services. In accordance with his plea agreement, Booker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.
“The guilty pleas of these two defendants firmly establish their culpability in the despicable murder of a former fellow soldier in retaliation for performing his duties as a service member,” said U.S. Attorney Estes, a retired U.S. Army Colonel. “They will now be held accountable for their bloody conspiracy.”
In his prior guilty plea, Booker, a former U.S. Army sergeant, admitted he and Brown, a former U.S. Army specialist, discussed “silencing” Specialist Austin J. Hawk, 21, at Fort Stewart Military Reservation. Hawk’s subsequent murder was in retaliation for Hawk reporting Brown to U.S. Army leadership for marijuana use that resulted in a preliminary inquiry for a court martial proceeding against Brown. After conspiring with Brown, Booker admitted that he gained entry to Hawk’s barracks room shortly after midnight on June 17, 2020, where he “slashed and stabbed Hawk repeatedly with a sharp-edged weapon.” A medical examiner later noted that Hawk received 40 separate stab or slash wounds.
Hawk’s body was found in his Fort Stewart barracks room the next day.
“The joint response by the Department of Defense and Department of Justice to this murder exemplifies the phenomenal teamwork between the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia,” said Rusty Higgason, Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the CID Southeast Field Office. “The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory and the FBI Crime Lab analyzed hundreds of pieces of evidence, and the CID forensic science professionals that responded from various locations to process the site did an amazing job. I would also like to highlight the relentless, behind-the-scenes work by investigative analysts who meticulously reviewed an extraordinary amount of documents, images, video recordings and digital data in this investigation.”
“Brown’s plea is a direct result of the hard work and persistence put in by the FBI Savannah Resident Agency and our partners at the U.S. Army and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hawk’s family and friends will never be rid of the pain this senseless murder has caused them, but hopefully it gives them some sense of resolve to know that justice will be served.”
The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI are investigating the case, which is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Darron J. Hubbard.
U.S. Attorney Estes also commended the work of CID Forensic Science Technicians from Fort Stewart, Fort Bragg, Fort Gordon, and Fort Jackson; the analysts with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory and the FBI Crime Lab; the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner; the DOJ Cybercrime Lab; Bevel, Gardner & Associates, Inc.; and Peace River K9 Search and Rescue.
Ex-Naval petty officer sentenced to federal prison for distributing child pornographyRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA: A former U.S. Navy petty officer stationed at Submarine Base Kings Bay was sentenced to federal prison after admitting he distributed images of child sexual exploitation.
Anthony Gabriel Ortiz, 23, of Kings Bay, Ga., was sentenced to 74 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Ortiz to pay restitution of $19,000, to register as a sex offender, and to serve 15 years of supervised release after completion of his prison sentence.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Distributing child pornography shares the pain of victimization endlessly for innocent children who have been exploited,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Anthony Ortiz is being held accountable for perpetuating the harm to these vulnerable victims.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Ortiz was in the U.S. Navy assigned to the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, Naval Weapons Station in Charleston, S.C., when investigators with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in early 2019 found online images of child pornography shared via a messaging application. RCMP alerted the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crimes Center, and HSI contacted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
Ortiz, a petty officer third class, transferred in April 2019 to Submarine Base Kings Bay in Kingsland, Ga., where he later was interviewed by HSI and NCIS investigators. He was taken into custody after admitting to possessing and distributing child pornography over the internet, and investigators found hundreds of images and videos of child sexual exploitation on electronic devices in his possession.
“Mr. Ortiz deserves to be held fully accountable for his reprehensible actions to possess and distribute child pornography,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas Cannizzo of the NCIS Southeast Field Office. “NCIS exists to protect our Department of the Navy warfighters and their families from harm. We sincerely thank our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Justice for their continued efforts to combat child sexual exploitation in communities where our DON families live and work.”
“Those who create, view and distribute images of child exploitation create an enduring cycle of trauma and victimization, which is why these crimes are so detrimental,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Catching and prosecuting the predators that traffic in these disturbing images takes a team effort and we are very thankful for the great relationships we have with our law enforcement partners.”
This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, and was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The case was prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kirkland and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.
Two sentenced for their roles in murder of man who blew the whistle on an illegal labor conspiracyRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA.: Two men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in the murder of a whistleblower who exposed a multi-million-dollar scheme that fraudulently employed undocumented workers.
Pablo Rangel-Rubio, 53, of Rincon, was sentenced to 584 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to charges including Aiding and Abetting the Retaliation Against a Witness, while Higinio Perez-Bravo, 52, of Savannah, was sentenced to 240 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Murder for Hire, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Perez-Bravo to pay restitution of $1,329,412.80 to the family of the victim, and ordered Rangel-Rubio to pay $1,351,217.05 in restitution to the victim’s family and to another worker for lost wages. Both Perez-Bravo and Rangel-Rubio are citizens of Mexico illegally present in the United States and are subject to deportation after completion of their prison terms. There is no parole in the federal system.
A third defendant, Rangel-Rubio’s brother, Juan Rangel-Rubio, 45, of Rincon – also an illegal alien – faces a statutory minimum sentence of life in prison after being found guilty at trial in October 2022 on charges including Conspiracy to Retaliate Against a Witness, and Conspiracy to Kill a Witness. His sentencing date has not yet been set.
“These sentences represent a measure of justice for Eliud Montoya, a brave man murdered by criminals protecting their lucrative and exploitative labor-trafficking enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our law enforcement partners did outstanding work to identify and hold accountable those responsible for this brutal murder.”
As reflected in court documents and evidence, the three men conspired to kill Eliud Montoya, a United States citizen who blew the whistle on a scheme of hiring and mistreating illegal aliens and who was murdered August 19, 2017, near his home in Garden City, Ga.
Pablo Rangel-Rubio worked as a supervisor at Wolf Tree, a contract company that performed tree-cutting services on utility rights-of-way. Working with his brother, the two schemed to hire illegal aliens to work for the company, and then routed the illegal aliens’ paychecks to their own bank accounts where they skimmed a portion of the pay for themselves. As a result of this scheme, the conspirators netted more than $3.5 million from an estimated 100 illegal alien laborers.
Mr. Montoya, a United States citizen who also worked at Wolf Tree, saw his colleagues being mistreated and complained to the company and to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. After Mr. Montoya blew the whistle on the scheme, Pablo Rangel-Rubio arranged for Mr. Montoya’s murder by paying Perez-Bravo for the use of his vehicles and to act as the getaway driver when Juan Rangel-Rubio shot Mr. Montoya to death.
“This sentence means that criminals like these defendants will not escape justice and will no longer be able to victimize anyone,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “We are thankful for the hard work done by all of the agencies involved in this case and hope that the verdict brings comfort to the victims and their families.”
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Garden City Police Department, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including Tania D. Groover.
Columbia County drug dealer sentenced to 10 years in prisonRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A Columbia County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to methamphetamine distribution.
Bobby Lewis Sturkey, 51, of Harlem, Ga., was sentenced to 120 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Sturkey to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Meth is a deadly, dangerous and highly addictive drug that increasingly is present in fatal overdoses,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Bobby Sturkey helped fuel this epidemic and the violent crime it supports, and he is being held accountable.”
According to court documents and testimony, Sturkey’s illegal activities came to the attention of law enforcement authorities in early 2020. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, along with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives served a search warrant on Sturkey’s rural home in January 2021, finding high-grade methamphetamine and firearms in the residence. Sturkey has previous felony convictions involving methamphetamine, along with felony convictions for armed robbery and burglary.
“It’s never a matter of ‘if’ a drug dealer will get caught, but rather ‘when,’ said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “And when that time comes, they’ll face severe consequences as is the case for this defendant whose lengthy sentence behind bars is indicative of the damage he caused individuals and the community by dealing dangerous drugs like ‘meth.’”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah L. Johnson.
Burke County, Ga., man awaits sentencing after admitting he coerced a child into producing child pornographyRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A Burke County man faces decades in prison after admitting he coerced a child to produce sexually explicit images.
Keyshawn Omar Cooper, 20, of Waynesboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Production of Child Pornography, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The plea subjects Cooper to a statutory penalty of up to 30 years in prison, along with payment of restitution and substantial financial penalties, followed by a minimum of five years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender after completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Keyshawn Cooper’s crime represents the nightmare scenario for parents whose children connect over the internet with predatory strangers,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Thanks to the vigilance of one of those parents and diligent law enforcement partners, Cooper will be held accountable for his reprehensible activities.”
As described in court, Cooper admitted that around May 9, 2021, he communicated via an internet application with a child in Missouri, and persuaded the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating visual depictions that the victim then sent to Cooper. The child’s mother discovered the activity and reported it to police in Cape Girardeau, Mo., who enlisted the assistance of the FBI in identifying and locating Cooper.
The investigation determined that the child and Cooper met online while playing a video game.
“The FBI has unfortunately seen an increasing amount of sextortion crimes across the country over the past year and we want this plea to send a message that we make crimes targeting children a top priority”, said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Let this be a reminder to parents and caregivers, people can pretend to be anyone online, and you need to remain vigilant with monitoring your child’s online activity and educating them about the risks of communicating with strangers.”
The case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau, Mo., Police Department and the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah L. Johnson.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.
Prison sentences for drug trafficker, two ex-prison guards wrap up meth-distribution conspiracyRead the Press Release
WAYCROSS, GA: A South Georgia man who participated in a widespread drug-trafficking conspiracy and two state prison guards who smuggled drugs behind bars are among the final defendants sentenced to federal prison as a major meth-distribution prosecution comes to a close.
Alexander Reyes Tyson, 45, of Douglas, Ga., was sentenced to 28 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine; Idalis Qua Dazia Harrell, 26, of Douglas, a former guard at Coffee County Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine and Marijuana; and Jessica Azaelae Burnett, a/k/a “The Madam,” 43, of Douglas, formerly a senior guard at Coffee County Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine and Marijuana.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“When the citizens of Coffee County sought relief from rising violent crime and illegal drug activity in their community, our local, state and federal law enforcement partners responded to identify and shut down these gang-driven drug traffickers,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “This operation sends a resounding message that we will be relentless in our efforts to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
Tyson, Harrell and Burnett are among 48 individuals who were indicted in January 2021 in USA v. McMillan et. al, dubbed Operation Sandy Bottom, an investigation into an extensive drug trafficking conspiracy centered in a Douglas, Ga., area known as “the bottoms.” The lead defendant, Jackie Kayaskia McMillan, 41, is serving a nearly 40-year sentence in federal prison for leading the conspiracy from inside Dooly State Prison, where he was serving a life sentence for murder. His girlfriend, Christina Veronda Alexander 42, of Hazlehurst, Ga., is serving a sentence of nearly 24 years in federal prison for serving as McMillan’s primary contact outside of prison, facilitating deliveries of methamphetamine from Mexico and distributing it to street-level dealers in Coffee, Bacon, Emanuel, Jeff Davis, Pierce and Wheeler counties, along with other parts of Georgia.
The investigation began in 2018 when the Coffee County Drug Unit enlisted the assistance of the FBI and the Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force in the Douglas-area drug trafficking conspiracy. The traffickers, coordinated by a subset of the Gangster Disciples criminal street gang, controlled multiple “trap houses” to store and distribute illegal drugs, primarily methamphetamine.
Investigators infiltrated the operation, intercepting multiple kilograms of drugs and nearly two dozen illegally possessed firearms, along with seven vehicles and more than $12,000 in cash identified as drug-trafficking proceeds. They also identified and charged state prison guards who smuggled drugs and cell phones into prisons.
The cases against all 48 defendants are complete, with most serving sentences of up to 200 months in prison after pleading guilty. The final defendant, Amos Tyrone Brantley III, 40, of Ambrose, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Marijuana.
“It is impossible to overstate the enormity of this investigation and the incredible multi-agency teamwork involved to procure the arrests, convictions, and sentences of such a large operation,” said Coffee County Sheriff Doyle Wooten. “Make no mistake: This investigation was a major blow to drug traffickers targeting our area and our penal institutions. We are particularly saddened when those who have sworn to uphold the law become the ones subverting it, but we will not think twice to hold them accountable.”
“The sentencing of these individuals ends an exhaustive investigation and proves that the FBI and our partners will spare no resource when it comes to ending an epidemic in our society that fuels violent crime and kills our citizens,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We want to thank our partners in the Georgia Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force who relentlessly work along our side to dismantle these organized, violent criminal enterprises.”
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
It was investigated by the FBI and the FBI Coastal Georgia Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and the Coffee County Drug Unit; the Georgia Department of Corrections; the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office; the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office; the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office; the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office; the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office; the Blackshear Police Department; the Nicholls Police Department; the Douglas Police Department; the Alma Police Department; the Glynn County Police Department; the Brunswick Police Department; the Swainsboro Police Department; and the Coffee County Department of Family and Children Services.
The cases were prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Greg Gilluly Jr. and Frank M. Pennington II.
Sixth defendant in scuba fraud investigation admits filing false claims with the Department of Veterans AffairsRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA: The training director of a Camden County dive shop has admitted participating in the submission of false claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for scuba classes targeting military veterans’ education benefits.
John Spyker, 39, of Yulee, Fla., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to an Information charging him with False, Fictitious, and Fraudulent Claims, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The guilty plea subjects Spyker to a possible statutory penalty of up to five years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and restitution, and up to three years of supervised release following any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“As the sixth defendant admitting culpability in this investigation, John Spyker represents one more falling domino in the effort to unravel this substantial theft of veterans’ education benefits,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “The VA Office of Inspector General continues to do outstanding work in identifying and ending this fraud.”
Spyker, a School Certifying Official and Director of Training at Diver’s Den in St. Marys, Ga., admitted that from about January 2021 through January 2022, he, and others, submitted false and fraudulent information to the Department of Veterans Affairs for tuition payments under the Post-9/11 GI Bill totaling $722,399.19.
Five other defendants who previously entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court are owners, managers, and/or instructors at Diver’s Den and at Scooba Shack in Savannah and Richmond Hill, Ga. Collectively, the defendants are responsible for defrauding more than $6 million from VA education benefits.
As described in court documents, the defendants caused false submissions to be made to the VA. The false submissions misstated the businesses’ compliance with VA regulations, dates of students’ attendance, and hours of instructions, among other information. Some of the defendants also participated in creating fictitious scholarship programs to provide the appearance that a required percentage of non-VA students participated in those classes. The businesses billed the VA up to more than $20,000 per veteran student enrollee for the classes.
“Safeguarding Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefit funds reserved for deserving veterans remains a priority, and our investigators are working diligently in the field to ensure these programs are not exploited for financial gain and greed,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Southeast Field Office. “Six guilty pleas in this case is a testament of our commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who would defraud VA’s benefits programs.”
The case is being investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Former owner of Savannah restaurant charged with tax crime involving failure to pay more than $400,000 in payroll taxesRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: The former owner of a Savannah pizza franchise faces a federal charge for withholding more than $400,000 in payroll taxes.
Melissa Metts Johnson, 48, of Statesboro, Ga., is charged via an Information with Failure to Account for and Pay Over Employment Taxes, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The felony charge carries a statutory penalty of up to five years in prison and substantial financial penalties, followed by up to three years of supervised release after completion of any prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Employers who willfully fail to collect, account for, and deposit with the IRS employment tax due are stealing from the U.S. Treasury and gaining an unfair advantage over their honest competitors,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our office is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who willfully fail to comply with their employment tax responsibilities.”
As described in the Information, Johnson was the owner of LHMS Inc., which operated a franchise of Mellow Mushroom in Savannah. The Information alleges that from 2015 through 2019, the company spent thousands of dollars for Johnson’s benefit, even as the company failed to turn over to the Internal Revenue Service the payroll taxes withheld from the company’s employees.
The Information alleges that while the company withheld tax payments from employees’ paychecks during the period, the company failed to pay all of those taxes to the IRS. “Altogether,” the Information says, the “Defendant causes LHMS, Inc. to fail to account for and pay over $428,203.48 in payroll taxes.” As recently as April 2020, the company failed to turn over $35,882.29 in payroll taxes due to the United States.
An Information contains only charges; a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted for the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Major indictment targets southeastern drug trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
STATESBORO, GA: A newly unsealed federal indictment charges nearly three dozen defendants for their involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy centered in south Georgia and reaching into the Caribbean.
The primary conspiracy charge in USA v. Morales-Jimenez et. al, dubbed Operation Carpet Ride, carries a statutory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to life, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Conviction on the charge also carries a minimum of five years of supervised release following any prison term, and there is no parole in the federal system.
“The painstaking investigation in Operation Carpet Ride spans nearly six years and thousands of miles as it tracked illegal drugs flowing into the United States to the Southern District of Georgia and beyond,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our law enforcement partners have done outstanding work in identifying, investigating and disrupting this drug trafficking organization.”
Operation Carpet Ride, investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), identified drug trafficking operations in Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Richmond, and Tattnall counties, and elsewhere, from as early as January 2016. As described in the 49-count indictment, the conspiracy is alleged to have imported large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs for distribution in the Southern District.
Each defendant in USA v. Morales-Jiminez et. al is charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine; 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; 28 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine; Hydrocodone; Oxycodone; and Marijuana. Other individual charges in the indictment include drug possession and distribution, maintenance of a drug-involved premises, and illegal firearms possession and use.
Those named in the indictment include:
- Daniel Morales-Jimenez, a/k/a “Danny Hill,” 45, of Puerto Rico;
- Pedro Castro-Vasquez, a/k/a “Chipo,” 50, of Puerto Rico;
- Sonic Torres-Garcia, 24, of Kissimmee, Fla.;
- Kristine Albright-Ramos, 35, of Puerto Rico;
- Alexys Rivera-Cuevas, 28, of Gainesville, Fla.;
- Luis Diaz-Albright, 20, of Puerto Rico;
- Paola Morales Rosario, 24, of Kissimmee, Fla.;
- Clarence Bess, a/k/a “Cash,” 41, of Jacksonville, Fla.;
- Laverne Pullins Jr., 70, of Jacksonville, Fla.;
- Demarr Clayton Lee, 52, of Miami, Fla.;
- Tony Deshawn Slater, 51, of Claxton, Ga.;
- Domanek Laquan Mincey, 44, of Glennville, Ga.;
- Anthony Craig Johnson, a/k/a “Pookie,” 56, of Claxton, Ga.;
- Andre Delerrain Anderson, 48, of Claxton, Ga.;
- Phillip Dwayne Walden, 45, of Statesboro, Ga.;
- Corey Ontavious Hendrix, 44, of Claxton, Ga.;
- Enrique Humbra Denson Sr., 49, of Statesboro, Ga.;
- Enrique Humbra Denson Jr., 29, of Reidsville, Ga.;
- Kevin Derrell Ponder, 45, of Claxton, Ga.;
- Terran Harvel Tigner, 35, of Glennville, Ga.;
- Troy Sinclair Tigner, 35, of Glennville, Ga.;
- Nicholas Rashon Fillmore, 42, of Hinesville, Ga.;
- Marquese Shavel Palmer, 30, of Claxton, Ga.;
- Michael Lynn Jinks, 47, of Glennville, Ga.;
- Tony Anthony Warren, 38, of Claxton, Ga.;
- Lance Boyette Ford, 39, of Glennville, Ga.;
- Heather Elaine Barbee, 43, of Sylvania, Ga.;
- Sean Christopher Brown, 43, of Savannah;
- Jarvis Charles Hagan, 31, of Claxton, Ga.;
- Kenneth Bacon Hall, 51, of Glennville, Ga.;
- Caleb Earl Riggs, 37, of Claxton, Ga.; and,
- Gerald Walter Dasher, 52, of Glennville, Ga.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Puerto Rico State Police; the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles; the Georgia Department of Community Supervision; the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office; the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office; the Evans County Sheriff’s Office; the Barceloneta Police Department; the Claxton Police Department; and the Glennville Police Department; and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank M. Pennington II and OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo.
Two newly indicted, nine previous indictments unsealed for crimes including illegal firearms possessionRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Six defendants are among those facing federal charges including illegal possession of firearms after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in U.S. District Court include guilty pleas and criminal sentences related to illegal gun possession.
The indicted cases are being investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally carry guns.
“The law specifically prohibits previously convicted felons from carrying guns – and it’s abundantly clear that reducing violent crime requires keeping gun-carrying criminals off our streets,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We commend our law enforcement partners for their continued commitment to keeping our communities safe.”
In the past four years, more than 790 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony. Recent federal legislation increases the maximum penalty for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon to 15 years, up from 10, for those found in possession after June 25, 2022.
Defendants named in federal indictments from the November 2022 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:
- Shannan Barnwell, 24, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Interference with Interstate Commerce by Robbery; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. Barnwell is charged in connection with the Sept. 27 armed robbery of a vendor restocking a South State Bank automatic teller machine.
- Jacob Matthew Miller, 32, of Waynesboro, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon.
Nine additional defendants were indicted under seal in October, with those indictments recently unsealed following initial court appearances:
- Robert Richard Hatten, 47, of Oak Park, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number;
- Christopher Nakia Jones, 47, of Swainsboro, Ga., charged with three counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Ephelius Artavis Brinson Jr., 28, of Hephzibah, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and Possession of Marijuana;
- Devonte Malik Jorame, 25, of Aiken, S.C., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of Marijuana.
- Trevor Elijah Walker, 24, of Augusta, charged with two counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Taipai La’Don Brewer, 43, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Titus Nathaniel Travis, 23, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Diemond Dajion Wimberly, 25, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and,
- Deontre Hubert, 28, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on federal charges that include illegal firearms possession:
- Thomas Kevin Robinson, 52, of Savannah, was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police responding to a shoplifting call in April 2021 chased Robinson in his vehicle and on foot, and found a pistol that he had dropped while running. Robinson has an extensive criminal history with at least seven prior felony convictions.
- Terry Kennard Isaacs, 37, of Beaufort, S.C., was sentenced to 108 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Shortly after midnight on June 17, 2021, Pooler Police officers found Isaacs asleep inside a customer’s vehicle parked at a repair business, and arrested him after finding a pistol and drugs in his possession. Isaacs has multiple prior felony convictions involving firearms and violence.
- Johnathon Emanuel McGahee, 24, of Thomson, Ga., was sentenced to 100 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. McGahee crashed his vehicle while fleeing Georgia State Patrol troopers attempting a traffic stop on Jan. 1, 2021, and ran into woods where he was captured. Troopers found drugs and a loaded pistol with a high-capacity magazine in McGahee’s car. McGahee is a member of the Gangster Disciples criminal street gang with a violent criminal history.
- Carlos Middleton, 21, of Savannah, was sentenced to 97 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Interference with Commerce by Robbery. Middleton admitted brandishing a firearm Jan. 20, 2022, when he threatened and robbed employees of a Chatham County video game store. The plea subjects Middleton to a statutory sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
- Rashejon B. Curry, 28, of Pooler, Ga., was sentenced to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Chatham County Police officers arrested Curry following a report of an assault at a motel room, later finding him carrying a loaded pistol. Curry has a violent criminal history including convictions for robbery and gun possession.
- Daquan Dwayne Young, 27, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers arrested Young after a March 2022 traffic stop when they found a pistol in his waistband.
- Ra’ann Michell Coleman, 49, of Eastman, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to two counts of False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm, a charge often referred to as “lying and buying.” In her plea agreement, Coleman admitted that when she purchased a Taurus .380 pistol on Oct. 26, 2020, and a Bersa .380 pistol on Dec. 8, 2020, she lied about being the actual purchaser of the guns when she in fact was buying the firearms on behalf of someone else.
Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol.
The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense.
For more information from the ATF on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473
For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
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Atlanta-area man and his company charged in attempted stolen-car smuggling operationRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Douglas County man and his company are named in a 16-count federal indictment alleging a scheme to ship stolen cars to another country.
Prince Bediako, 40, of Douglasville, Ga., and his Atlanta company, Fastlane Logistix LLC, are charged with four counts of Submitting False or Misleading Export Information; four counts of Smuggling; and eight counts of Interstate Transport of Stolen Property, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charges carry a statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison and substantial financial penalties, and up to three years of supervised release following completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The vigilant staff at the Port of Savannah perform a tremendous duty in protecting our country from dangerous imports, and identifying those who use the ports for illegal export activity,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “These charges should send a warning to those intent on circumventing our nation’s import and export controls.”
As described in the indictment, in early 2020, Bediako and Fastlane are alleged to have transported eight stolen vehicles to Georgia from Florida, North Carolina, Mississippi, Missouri, and New Hampshire. They are then alleged to have provided false and fraudulent information to a freight company in an attempt to ship the vehicles to another country.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Savannah Ports Police, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jenna G. Solari and Darron J. Hubbard.
Ten defendants charged in Augusta-area drug trafficking operationRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: Ten people have been indicted in an Augusta-area drug trafficking conspiracy linked to another large-scale drug trafficking prosecution.
As described in the newly unsealed indictment in USA v. Fields et. al, the investigation parallels the indictments in USA v. Wheatley et. al, together dubbed Operation Wheat Fields, and describes a conspiracy to transport and distribute large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin in the areas of Richmond and Emanuel counties in Georgia, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Each defendants faces a conspiracy charge that carries a maximum statutory penalty of up to life in prison, and there is no parole in the federal system.
“Illegal drug trafficking operations generate misery in our communities and produce significant illicit funds and generate rivalries that fuel violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “By closely collaborating with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to identify, disrupt and dismantle these organizations and make our citizens safer.”
Operation Wheat Fields is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation that identified a pipeline of illegal drugs from Mexico routed through Atlanta and into the greater Augusta area, facilitated by defendants that included those housed in Georgia prisons who used contraband devices to communicate via text message and Facebook. The investigation led to multiple searches and evidence seizures from residences, vehicles, and hotel rooms.
Those charged in the October 2022 indictment in USA v. Fields, et. al, include:
- Justin Wayne Fields, 39, of Swainsboro, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; three counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine; and 11 counts of Use of Communication Facility, related to the use of a cell phone or Facebook Messenger to facilitate the conspiracy;
- Joshua Brooks Woodward, a/k/a “Jay Wood,” 30, of Augusta, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; and five counts of Use of a Communication Facility;
- Elizabeth Sarah Hagan, 38, of Augusta, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; Possession of Methamphetamine; and four counts of Use of a Communication Facility;
- Coley Alexander Greene, a/k/a “Henry Jones,” 30, of Wrens, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; and three counts of Use of a Communication Facility;
- James Edmund Beasley, 34, of Grovetown, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin; and three counts of Use of a Communication Facility;
- Cameron Ruth Young, 35, of Grovetown, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin; and Use of a Communication Facility;
- David Marshall Hood, 45, of Kite, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; two counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; and Use of a Communication Facility;
- James Richard Faircloth, 39, of Swainsboro, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; five counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; and three counts of Use of a Communication Facility;
- Leann Nicole Faircloth, 39, of Swainsboro, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; and three counts of Distribution of Heroin; and,
- Casey Alton Henry, 45, of Swainsboro, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 500 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and an Amount of Heroin; two counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine; and Use of a Communication Facility.
All of the defendants charged in the indictment have appeared before a magistrate in U.S. District Court.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
In the related prosecution in USA v. Wheatley et al., lead defendant Jayson Dwayne Wheatley, 41, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty Sept. 23 to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or More of a Mixture Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine. Two other defendants also await sentencing after pleading guilty to related charges, and the remaining four defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.
Operation Wheat Fields is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Swainsboro Police Department; the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office; the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney and Criminal Division Chief Patricia G. Rhodes.
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Jury convicts felon of illegally carrying firearmRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A U.S. District Court jury convicted a Richmond County man of illegally carrying a gun after previously being convicted of a felony.
Christopher Fitzgerald Jones, 35, of Augusta, was found guilty of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Jones’ conviction subjects him to a statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison, without parole.
“Convicted felons perpetuate violent crime in our communities by illegally carrying guns,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to remove these criminals from our streets.”
As presented at trial, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office investigators were planning to arrest Jones in October 2021 on a felony warrant when he drove away from a home under surveillance. As the investigators followed his vehicle, Jones abruptly stopped his car and stepped out, facing the police vehicle. As he was taken into custody, the investigators found a loaded 9 mm semiautomatic pistol in Jones’ back pocket.
From the beginning of the trial, both sides agreed that Jones knew, as a previously convicted felon, that it was illegal for him to carry a firearm. Jones has a violent criminal history, including convictions in state court for domestic violence and illegal gun possession.
Sentencing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall will be scheduled following completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“Today’s announcement is a perfect answer to one of our most important ‘whys’ – why we chose to protect and serve the public. Illegal firearm possession in our communities is dangerous and damaging to everyone involved in the criminal activity,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “ATF will remain in lockstep with our local, state and federal partners in our continuing effort to combat violent crime and maintain public safety.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry W. Syms Jr. and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spitulnik.
Guilty verdict on all counts for illegal alien who murdered whistleblower in an illegal labor conspiracyRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA.: A U.S. District Court jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty to all charges lodged against an illegal alien for his role in a conspiracy to kill a whistleblower who exposed a multi-million-dollar scheme to fraudulently employ undocumented workers.
Juan Rangel-Rubio, 45, of Rincon, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States, was found guilty after a five-day trial of Conspiracy to Retaliate Against a Witness; Conspiracy to Kill a Witness; Conspiracy to Conceal, Harbor and Shield Illegal Aliens; and Money Laundering Conspiracy, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charges carry a statutory minimum sentence of life in prison, and there is no parole in the federal system.
Two co-defendants – Higinio Perez-Bravo, 52, of Savannah, and Rangel-Rubio’s brother, Pablo Rangel-Rubio, 53, of Rincon, await sentencing after pleading guilty in the conspiracy to kill Eliud Montoya, a United States citizen who blew the whistle on a scheme of hiring and mistreating illegal aliens and who was murdered August 19, 2017, near his home in Garden City, Ga.
“This jury verdict brings resounding resolution to any doubts about the culpability of these defendants in this horrific conspiracy to kill a man who threatened their illegal and lucrative labor-trafficking scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “We commend our law enforcement partners who solved this brutal murder and paved the way to holding these criminals accountable.”
As reflected in court records and evidence presented to the jury, Pablo Rangel-Rubio worked as a supervisor at Wolf Tree – a contract company that performed tree-cutting services on utility rights-of-way. Working with his brother, Juan Rangel-Rubio – also a Mexican citizen illegally present in the United States – the two schemed to hire illegal aliens to work for the company, and then routed the illegal aliens’ paychecks to their own bank accounts where they skimmed a portion of the pay for themselves. As a result of this scheme, the conspirators netted more than $3.5 million.
Mr. Montoya, a United States citizen who also worked at Wolf Tree, saw his colleagues being mistreated and complained to the company and to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. After Mr. Montoya blew the whistle on the scheme, Pablo Rangel-Rubio arranged for Mr. Montoya’s murder by paying Perez-Bravo for the use of his vehicles and to act as the getaway driver when Juan Rangel-Rubio shot Mr. Montoya to death.
Sentencings for all three defendants will begin in November in U.S. District Court.
“This sentence means that criminals like these defendants will not escape justice and will no longer be able to victimize anyone,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “We are thankful for the hard work done by all of the agencies involved in this case and hope that the verdict brings comfort to the victims and their families.”
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Garden City Police Department, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including Tania D. Groover.
Election Officers named for Southern District of Georgia’s effort to ensure voting integrityRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Two Assistant U.S. Attorneys have been named to lead the efforts in the Southern District of Georgia in connection with the U.S. Department of Justice’s nationwide 2022 Election Day Program.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Channell V. Singh and Jeremiah L. Johnson have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers (DEOs) for the Southern District of Georgia, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. In that capacity, they are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and reports of election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” U.S. Attorney Estes said. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. Our office will work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot, or to be assisted by a person of their choice where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English.
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the District Election Officers will be on duty in the Southern District of Georgia while the polls are open and can be reached at 912-652-4422.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 770-216-3000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
In the event of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Final defendants in Washington, Ga., area drug trafficking conspiracy enter guilty pleasRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: The last of 21 defendants in a Wilkes County, Ga., area drug trafficking conspiracy have now entered guilty pleas, wrapping up prosecution of a crime ring that distributed methamphetamine and other drugs in the Southern District of Georgia.
Timothy Derrick Pettus, a/k/a “TP,” 54, of Duluth, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Pettus’ plea represents the final determination of guilt for the 21 defendants indicted in July 2021 in USA v. Wynn et. al, dubbed Operation Wynner Storm.
“The teamwork of the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office with other local, state, and federal agencies identified and dismantled a violence-prone criminal organization distributing dangerous drugs throughout a largely rural northern part of the Southern District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our communities are safer with these gun-carrying meth merchants off the streets.”
Initiated by the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and coordinated through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), Operation Wynner Storm targeted gang-related drug trafficking in the Wilkes, Lincoln and McDuffie County areas north of Augusta, culminating in a 51 count federal indictment. An additional 18 defendants were prosecuted on related state charges.
The two-year investigation began in September 2019 with information that the conspirators, led by Exjaben Demontaz Hardman, a/k/a “Zay,” 43, of Washington, Ga., Calvin Terrill Wynn, a/k/a “Swang Lo,” a/k/a “Lo,” 34, of Washington, and others, were distributing large amounts of methamphetamine and other drugs throughout the greater Wilkes County area using a network of street dealers. After months of investigation and controlled purchases, agents conducted nearly 20 court-authorized searches and seized methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, drug sales paraphernalia, cash and illegally possessed firearms.
Hardman is serving a 135-month prison sentence and Wynn is serving a 66-month sentence after each pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine. Other defendants are serving sentences of up to 78 months on similar charges, while Pettus and five remaining defendants await sentencing.
“Citizens in the communities affected by these defendants’ peddling drugs and weapons are immediately safer following their removal from the streets,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “As this exhaustive investigation comes to an end, the FBI’s job is not complete. We will continue working with our partners to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking organizations here in Georgia.”
“This case exemplifies our commitment to prevent drug violence and criminal activity from poisoning our communities,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “It also sends a clear message that we will relentlessly pursue and prosecute the leaders and members of these violent drug enterprises.”
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Agencies investigating the case include the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Probation Office; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Georgia Department of Community Supervision; the Georgia State Patrol; the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office; the Taliaferro County Sheriff’s Office; the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office; the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office; and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Criminal Division Chief Patricia G. Rhodes.
South Georgia physician sentenced to prison after admitting conspiracy to illegally distribute drugsRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Coffee County, Ga., physician has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after he admitted to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed massive amounts of addictive controlled substances from pain management and addiction clinics.
Dr. Wallace Steven Anderson, 68, of Douglas, Ga., was sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Unlawfully Distribute and Dispense Schedule IV Controlled Substances, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker also fined Anderson $35,000 and ordered him to serve a period of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
As part of his plea agreement, Anderson forfeited more than $200,000 in cash and three vehicles, and agreed to pay a total of $46,378.61 in restitution that includes paying the funeral expense for one individual who fatally overdosed on drugs provided through the conspiracy.
“Dr. Anderson betrayed his oath and betrayed his medical credentials to illegally dole out significant amounts of addictive drugs, including opioids, fueling our communities’ addiction crisis while lining his pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “We commend our law enforcement partners for their stellar efforts in shutting down this white-coated dope-dealer.”
Anderson was the owner of Steve Anderson, PC, and Steve Anderson Behavioral Health, both located in Douglas, Ga. In pleading guilty, Anderson admitted that from Feb. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2020, his nominal pain management and addiction facilities distributed alprazolam, temazepam, and clonazepam “not for legitimate medical purpose and not in the usual course of professional practice” by providing pre-signed refill prescriptions prior to patient examinations.
The investigation of the practice determined that the conspiracy issued nearly 160,000 prescriptions for controlled substances while ignoring numerous “red flags” indicating that the prescriptions were not issued for legitimate medical purposes.
Two employees at the clinics, Bridgett Stephanie Taylor, 55, of Broxton, Ga., a Nurse Practitioner who worked under Anderson, and Wandle Keith Butler, 57, of Douglas, a Physician Assistant who worked under Anderson, were sentenced in August 2022 after each pled guilty to Conspiracy to Unlawfully Distribute and Dispense Schedule IV Controlled Substances. Judge Baker sentenced Taylor to 48 months’ probation and fined her $20,000, while Butler was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,296.29 in restitution.
“Americans rely on physicians and other healthcare providers to help their patients and to ‘do no harm.’ This pill-peddling physician and his co-conspirators violated the law and betrayed the responsibilities of their profession by unlawfully dispensing highly-addictive controlled substances,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The law enforcement community is committed to stopping unscrupulous medical professionals from harming patients.”
“This case serves as an important reminder that health care professionals have a duty to prescribe medication responsibly to ensure the well-being of patients under their care. Failing to do so can endanger patients and undermines critical, ongoing public health measures to address the illegal distribution of opioids,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to hold bad actors accountable.”
“Our job as law enforcement is to seek out those responsible for supplying poison, from the street-level dealers to the professional dealers in lab coats. Years of negligence from three medical professionals causing destruction and pain has come to an end with the sentencing of Dr. Anderson.,” said Jeff Davis County Sheriff Preston Bohannon. “Jeff Davis County, Coffee County, Bacon County and other surrounding counties have witnessed the wave of destruction in our communities. I personally want to thank our county investigators that were involved in this case for an outstanding job, and the federal agencies for trusting our work and integrity. I’d like to congratulate the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and all other agencies involved for a successful case. I pray that the families impacted by this can finally have some closure and peace.”
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Savannah Resident Office; IRS Criminal Investigations; and Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General; and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew A. Josephson and Bradford C. Patrick, with assistance from the office’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.