Convicted Felon With Violent Criminal History Faces Ten Years Imprisonment For Illegally Possessing A Firearm

MACON, Ga. – A convicted felon with a violent criminal history is facing a maximum ten years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm, said Peter D. Leary, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

Janorick Antwon Ford, 36, of Milledgeville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell. Ford faces a maximum ten years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Ford will be sentenced on June 10, 2021. There is no parole in the federal system.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is working closely with law enforcement in the Milledgeville area and across the Middle District of Georgia to identify violent and repeat felons in illegal possession of guns for federal prosecution,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Leary. “I want to thank the law enforcement agencies involved in this case for their continued efforts to reduce violent crime in our communities.”

“If convicted violent felons want to continue wreaking havoc in our communities, we have laws to help keep them off the streets,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Thanks to an alert Baldwin County Sheriff deputy and our law enforcement partnerships, Ford was charged with a federal felony that will remove him from our community for a long time.”

On February 10, 2020 at 10:20 a.m., Ford was stopped for a routine traffic violation by a Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office deputy. The deputy smelled marijuana and observed an open container of alcohol inside the vehicle. Following a legal search of the vehicle, which included the seizure of six bags of suspected drugs and digital scales, along with other illegal drug paraphernalia, deputies found a loaded 9mm caliber pistol in the glove compartment. Ford was previously convicted of aggravated assault in Baldwin County Superior Court and possession of cocaine in Hancock County Superior Court. Ford admitted the loaded weapon was his and that it was illegal for him to possess a gun given his felony history.

The investigation was conducted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

The case was investigated by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force and the FBI-Macon Field Office. Criminal Chief Michael Solis and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul McCommon are prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, U.S. Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Officer (Contractor), U.S. Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.