Clayton Man Sentenced for Possession of Firearm and Ammunition by a Felon and False Statement to a Firearms Dealer

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that in federal court on October 20, 2017, United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, sentenced JOSEPH KELVIN ABERANT, 60, of Clayton, NC to 200 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.

ABERANT was named in a four-count Superseding Indictment filed on March 22, 2017.  On July 17, 2017, ABERANT pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of Ammunition by a Felon, and Knowingly Making a False and Fictitious Statement to a Firearms Dealer during Acquisition and Aiding and Abetting.

On August 11, 2016, investigators with the Johnston County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) responded to a residence on Waymon Way in Clayton in response to a shooting.  The caller advised that a man had been intentionally shot by her father, JOSEPH ABERANT.  ABERANT drove away from the scene of the shooting before responding law enforcement and medical personnel arrived.   The victim suffered seven gunshot wounds to various parts of his body, including his thigh, head, back, right arm, torso, and chest. He was transported to a hospital via ambulance for treatment of his injuries and required surgery.  

Investigators subsequently located a .22 caliber rifle which had an empty magazine and a bag of ammunition in the field across the street from the residence. Further investigation revealed that ABERANT’s wife, Marie Aberant, purchased the firearm for her husband, who was a felon, earlier that day.

ABERANT was discovered by investigators driving his vehicle in the vicinity and a traffic stop was attempted.  ABERANT refused to stop and led investigators on a chase that lasted several minutes.  During the chase, ABERANT drove through the yards of multiple residential properties, including one where young children were present in the yard, struck a bush and a fence with his vehicle, and reached speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.  ABERANT’S vehicle was eventually stopped and taken into custody. He declined to make a statement to investigators.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the criminal investigation of this case.  Assistant United States Attorney Peggah B. Wilson handled the prosecution of this case for the government.