SAVANNAH, GA: Twelve defendants are among those facing separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia on illegal firearm possession and drug-related gun possession charges.
The indicted cases are being investigated as part of the Safe Neighborhoods Project in collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, to combat violent crime with action such as against convicted felons illegally carrying guns.
“Getting firearms out of the hands of criminals is an essential element in the fight against violent crime and the destruction of our neighborhoods,” said Jill E. Steinberg, US Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We commend the hard work of our law enforcement officers who continue to identify and apprehend those who illegally possess firearms.”
In the last four years, more than 800 defendants in the Southern District of Georgia have been charged with illegal firearms offenses – most often possession of a firearm following a conviction for a previous felony. Federal law increased the maximum sentence for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon from 10 to 15 years for those found in possession after June 25, 2022.
Defendants named in federal indictments filed during the March 2023 U.S. District Court grand jury term include:
- Jovonn Courtney Stokes, 26, of Springfield, Georgia, was charged with three counts of disturbing commerce by robbery and three counts of possession of a firearm during a violent crime for a series of armed robberies at Chatham County convenience stores in November and December 2022.
- Stacey Vincent, 45, and Felicia Sherrod, 54, both of Douglas, Georgia, are charged with conspiracy to possess 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and distribute it and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Vincent is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
- Tavarres L. Freeman Jr., 22, of Augusta, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
- Todd Joseph Harbuck, 47, of Augusta, is 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 polite35, 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., was charged with six counts of making false statements about firearm purchases.
- Stephan DeWaine Jackson, 27, of Brunswick, Georgia, 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, Georgia, is 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 charges contain only charges; The accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Additional defendants were recently convicted on federal charges involving illegal gun possession:
- Seth Patrick Anderson, a/k/a “Shane Anderson”, a/k/a “AB”, 37, of Hinesville, Georgia, was sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon had . Long County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Anderson at a driver’s license checkpoint in October 2021 after they found a handgun in the vehicle he was driving. Anderson is a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist street gang.
- Reginald DeMarco Smith, a/k/a “Gunslinger”, 49, of Augusta, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and a $2,500 fine after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Smith sped away from an attempted traffic stop by a Richmond County sheriff’s deputy in February 2021, then abandoned his vehicle and ran into the woods. Investigators found a loaded handgun, a substantial amount of drugs, and more than $18,000 in cash at the scene, and Smith was found and arrested nine months later. Smith has multiple prior convictions for drug trafficking offenses and was on federally 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 home in January 2021 to investigate a report of domestic violence and found a handgun and drugs in the home.
- Tareem Burgess, 39, of Hephzibah, Georgia, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and a $1,500 fine after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested Burgess after an August 2020 traffic stop when they found a handgun in his vehicle. Burgess has previous convictions for robbery and domestic violence.
- Dwight Eady, 40, of Milan, Georgia, was sentenced to 54 months in prison after pleading guilty to a convicted felon’s possession of ammunition. Eady was arrested in September 2020 after fleeing a Georgia State Patrol traffic stop in Telfair County. Telfair County Sheriff’s deputies and a warden from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources later found Eady in a wooded area with drugs, ammunition and a semi-automatic pistol. Eady has previously been convicted of state and federal felonies for drug trafficking.
- Rondell Smith, a/k/a “Rondal Smith”, 27, of Hephzibah, was sentenced to 42 months in prison and a $1,500 fine after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested Smith in February 2022 after finding a handgun 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, Georgia, was sentenced to 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to firing a firearm in a school zone. An investigator for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Russell in August 2022 after seeing Russell get out of his vehicle at a Johnson County high school football game, point a pistol in the air, and fired multiple times, causing a panic at the stadium triggered.
- Amir Dontell Foreman, 27, of Augusta, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm from a convicted felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested Foreman in August 2022 after they found a handgun in his vehicle during an Operation Grace traffic stop.
- Kevon Quantae Davis, 23, of Augusta, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested Davis in January 2022 as part of Operation Grace, a gang-focused investigation in coordination with the FBI. Davis, a member of the street gang Bolt Alley Drive Boyz, dropped a pistol while running from the deputies on foot.
- Reco Casey, aka “Rico”, 33, of Augusta, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In September 2021, Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputies found a handgun in the vehicle in which Casey was a passenger. Casey was on state probation at the time of his arrest.
- Nicholas Robinson, 22, of Savannah, is awaiting 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, Georgia, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm from 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, is awaiting 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 handgun in Sallen’s waistband during a traffic stop. Sallen had previously been convicted of armed robbery and was on probation on a firearms charge at the time of his arrest.
- Taipai La’Don Brewer, 43, of Augusta, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested Brewer in July 2022 after they found a handgun and drugs in his car in a traffic stop as part of the Operation Grace investigation into gang crimes in the Augusta area.
- Terrance Webster Dunn, 32, of Augusta, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Dunn, a previously convicted felon, was arrested in October 2022 when Richmond County sheriff’s deputies found him riding a bicycle in a mall parking lot and snapping 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 US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Under federal law, it is illegal for a person to possess a firearm if he or she falls into any of nine prohibited categories, including criminals; illegal alien; or illegal user of a controlled substance. In addition, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or a violent crime. It’s also illegal to buy firearms — or even attempt to buy firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or is buying a firearm illegally on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, used to lawfully purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense.
For more information from the ATF on lawfully acquiring firearms, visit: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atfw-form-4473
