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Press Release
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Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Six defendants face felony firearms charges, with two also charged with illegal drug possession, after indictment by a U.S. District Court grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia.
The cases are being investigated in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI.
“The enforcement of existing firearms laws is an essential part of keeping our streets safe,” said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Our law enforcement partners continue to protect our communities by pursuing individuals who illegally possess guns.”
In the past three years, more than 680 defendants were federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a previous felony. That charge carries a statutory penalty upon conviction of up to 10 years in prison, and there is no parole in the federal system.
Defendants named in federal indictments from the July 2021 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on charges that include illegal firearms possession, including:
These cases also are being investigated under the Prosecutor to Prosecutor Program (P3), in which federal and state prosecutors collaborate to determine the most appropriate venue for adjudication of alleged crimes.
Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF; the FBI; the Savannah Police Department; the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office; the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office; the Taliaferro County Sheriff’s Office; the Glynn County Police Department; the Pooler Police Department; and the Brunswick Police Department.
The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Office Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including Henry W. Syms Jr., Marcela C. Mateo, Jennifer A. Stanley, Noah J. Abrams, Frank M. Pennington II, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.
Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense.
For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
Barry L. Paschal, Public Affairs Officer: 912-652-4422