Felon With Violent Criminal History Sentenced To Prison For Gun Possession

ATHENS, Ga. – A convicted felon with a violent criminal history, arrested in Athens for illegal possession of a firearm, was sentenced to prison yesterday for his crime, said Peter D. Leary, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal sentenced Curioki Hyche, 32, of Athens, to serve 63 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, after Hyche pleaded guilty to one count possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system.

On August 13, 2019, a confidential informant (CI) told the Athens-Clarke County Police that Hyche was carrying a weapon. Hyche, a known felon, was filmed by store surveillance in the Triangle Plaza area hiding a firearm in nearby bushes. Police retrieved the weapon, which was a 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol. In pleading guilty, Hyche admitted that he had possessed the pistol and that he knew he was prohibited from having a firearm because it is illegal for convicted felons to possess guns. Hyche has a prior felony conviction in Athens-Clarke County for aggravated assault.

“Felons with violent criminal histories who possess guns will face the possibility of federal prosecution,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Leary. “I want to thank the Athens-Clarke County Police Department for their work in this investigation.”

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 Athens-Clarke County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly S. Easterling prosecuted 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.