ATHENS, Ga. – An Athens resident with a long and violent criminal history has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for illegally possessing a gun, concealing homemade weapons and violating the terms of his supervised release while in federal custody.
Michael Anthony Randall, 33, of Athens, was sentenced Sept. 7 by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III to a total of 129 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release: Randall was sentenced to serve 105 months in prison , after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Case No. 3:22-cr-00023; he was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison concurrently after pleading guilty to possession of contraband in prison in Case No. 3:22-cr-28; and he was sentenced to 24 consecutive months in prison for violating his supervised release, for a total of 129 months in prison. Randall is not eligible for parole.
“The punishment is severe for prisoners caught with contraband weapons and for violent repeat offenders who illegally possess weapons. “In this case, Michael Randall violated both and will now face additional prison time,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Working with our law enforcement partners, our office will pursue federal prosecutions against the most dangerous and recurring criminals in our communities.”
“Michael Randall is the definition of a repeat offender,” said Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of the FBI Atlanta Office in Macon. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep dangerous criminals like Randall off the streets of Georgia.”
According to court documents, Randall was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the Middle District of Georgia on October 11, 2022, following his arrest on January 12 in Athens for illegal possession of a .380 pistol. 2021. Randall has multiple state felony convictions in North Carolina and Georgia, including assault causing serious bodily injury and drug charges. Randall was also previously convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the Middle District of Georgia. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
On November 8, 2022, while he was in custody awaiting his initial appearance in federal court, Butts County Jail officers found a shank – a handmade knife – hidden on Randall’s body. Officers found another hit on Randall on Nov. 10 before his appearance in federal court. On December 16, Randall was found in the Butts County Jail with another leg.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s efforts to reduce violent crime. PSN is an evidence-based program proven effective in reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad range of stakeholders work together to identify the community’s most pressing violent crime problems and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses its enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and rehabilitation programs to permanently reduce crime.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Butts County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Jarrett argued the case for the government.
