Nine men and woman indicted for illegal firearms possession, drugs

SAVANNAH, GA: Nine defendants are among those facing federal charges including drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in U.S. District Court include guilty pleas and criminal sentences related to illegal gun possession. 

The indicted cases are being investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally carry guns.

“The fight against violent crime continues to be an intense focus of our office and of our law enforcement partners,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “A key part of that fight is our effort to remove guns from the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them – particularly in the case of previously convicted felons.”  

In the past four years, more than 760 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony.

Defendants named in federal indictments from the July 2022 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:

• Jacob Bragg, 20, of Savannah, charged with Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery; Conspiracy to Possess a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence; four counts of Interference with Commerce by Robbery; and four counts of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. The indictment alleges that in October 2021, Bragg participated in the armed robberies of four Chatham County convenience stores.
• Quentin Jashawn Putney, 46, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 or More Grams of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Corinthia Jenae Dansby, 26, of Augusta, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 or More Grams of Fentanyl; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime;
• Jesu Aurelius Fox, 26, of Savannah, charged with two counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• James Travon Walker, 22, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Stolen Firearm;
• Daquan Dwayne Young, 27, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Seth Patrick Anderson, a/k/a “Shane Anderson,” a/k/a “AB,” 37, of Hinesville, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Ryan Nickolus Smiley, a/k/a “Nick Smiley,” 39, of Springfield, Ga., charged with two counts of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Convicted Felon;
• Charles Deon Jones, 26, of Newnan, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on federal charges that include illegal firearms possession:

• Shawn Green, 28, of Savannah, was sentenced 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. During a May 2020 traffic stop, Savannah Police officers found a pistol under the seat of the vehicle Green was driving. Green has multiple prior felony convictions.
• Treyon Antonio Williams, 31, of Savannah, was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Savannah Police officers investigating reports of gunshots in February 2021 arrested Williams on an outstanding felony warrant after finding a pistol in his pocket. Williams, an admitted member of a violent criminal street gang with multiple prior convictions for state felonies, was on probation for a conviction on state assault charges at the time of his arrest. He also faces a pending state charge of armed robbery in South Carolina. 
• William McCrae Jr., 43, of Hinesville, Ga., was sentenced to 87 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm. McRae admitted possessing a .38 caliber revolver that he knew was stolen when he was arrested during a traffic stop in February 2019 by Liberty County Sheriff’s deputies. McCrae has prior felony convictions in state court for armed robbery and firearms possession, and was on state probation at the time of his arrest.
• Shakeem Douse, a/k/a “G Street NBA,” a/k/a “Pothead,” 27, of Savannah, was sentenced to 62 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Douse was one of 29 defendants indicted in December 2020 as part of Operation Deadlier Catch, an investigation targeting a violent Savannah-area drug-trafficking network. At the time of his arrest, Douse was on parole from a conviction in state court for firearms possession and drug trafficking.
• Ricardo DeAngelo Norman, 33, of Augusta, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and fined $1,500 followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by an Unlawful Drug User. Norman was charged in October 2021 as part of Operation Washout, an investigation into a cocaine-trafficking ring in the Burke County area.
• Keyon Quinton Adams, 28, of Augusta, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. U.S. Marshals serving warrants for Adams’ arrest on Florida charges found him in possession of a pistol when they took him into custody in October 2021 in Martinez. Adams still faces prosecution for the Florida state charges, which include attempted sexual battery and armed false imprisonment.
• Johnathon Emanuel McGahee, 24, of Thomson, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. McGahee crashed his vehicle while fleeing Georgia State Patrol troopers attempting a traffic stop on Jan. 1, 2021, and ran into woods where he was captured. Troopers found drugs and a loaded pistol with a high-capacity magazine in McGahee’s car.
• Jonathan R. White, 25, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers investigating a vehicle crash arrested White after seeing him remove a pistol from the vehicle and learning that White had a prior felony conviction.
• Elijawan Leysath Rhodes, 29, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s Office investigators responding to gunfire at a Wrightsboro Road motel Dec. 31, 2021, arrested Rhodes after a brief chase when they found a pistol in Rhodes’ vehicle.
• Robert Alexander DuBose, 40, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies investigating a vehicle break-in arrested DuBose after finding a pistol in his pants.
• Jonathan McGregor, 46, of Woodbine, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Heroin, and Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. Kingsland Police officers arrested McGregor in November 2020 after finding a loaded pistol, two rifles, drugs and cash in his vehicle during a traffic stop.
• James Hoffman, 37, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers arrested Hoffman after a foot chase in August 2020 while investigating a report of a man firing a pistol. The officers found a loaded pistol on the ground after tackling Hoffman, who has multiple prior felony convictions for violent crimes.
• Carlos Middleton, 21, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Interference with Commerce by Robbery. Middleton admitted brandishing a firearm Jan. 20, 2022, when he threatened and robbed employees of a Chatham County video game store. The plea subjects Middleton to a statutory sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the DEA, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Office Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including E. Gregory Gilluly Jr., Jeremiah L. Johnson, Henry W. Syms Jr., and Tania D. Groover, with firearms forfeitures coordinated through the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office Asset Recovery Unit.

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 from the ATF on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.

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