Federal Prosecutors Move to Revoke Supervised Release for Convicted Felon

ATHENS, Ga. – A convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history in the Athens-Clarke County area is currently in detention after being accused of multiple new violations, said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Shabazz Sangria Wingfield, 27, of Athens, was sentenced in January 2015 by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal to 60 months in prison and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Since Wingfield’s release from federal prison on December 28, 2018, he is accused of committing ten violations of his supervised release.  Documents filed in federal court allege the most recent violation occurred on January 30, 2020, when Wingfield was arrested on state charges following accusations that he struck a woman and threatened to kill her.  On March 13, 2020, Wingfield pleaded guilty in state court to criminal trespass-family violence arising from the January 30, 2020 incident, in addition to pleading guilty to a state charge of Criminal Trespass from an incident on December 28, 2019.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle ordered Wingfield’s continued detainment at an initial appearance and detention hearing on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Wingfield is facing a maximum five years in prison for violating the terms of his supervisory release, in addition to any potential state sentences. The final revocation hearing has not been scheduled. Defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty; in this case, the court must find by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant violated a condition of supervised release before it can be revoked.

“Our office will quickly move to revoke the supervised release of convicted felons who choose to commit violent crimes in our communities after serving their prison sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “Convicted felons caught violating the terms of their supervised release will be prosecuted.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Probation Office. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Leary is prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.