Seven indicted for illegal firearms possession, drug offenses

SAVANNAH, GA:  Seven defendants face 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, in an ongoing effort to reduce violent crime with measures that included targeting those who illegally possess firearms.

“As we continue to focus on the reduction of violent crime in the Southern District, we applaud the work of our law enforcement partners in removing guns illegally possessed by convicted felons,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Protecting the safety of our citizens is of paramount importance.” 

In the past four years, more than 725 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 January 2022 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:

• Randall Walden, 42, of Savannah, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 or More Grams of Methamphetamine and a Quantity of Fentanyl; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. The indictment also charges Walden and Burney Cobb, 41, of Savannah, with Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
• Davon Lamont Blackshear, 30, of Springfield, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of Cocaine;
• Shaquille Green, a/k/a “OC,” a/k/a “Scrill Rip Chop,” 28, of Savannah, charged with two counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Phillip Allen Loughry, 41, of Baxley, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime;
• Hunter Cole Reavis, 25, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Firearm by an Unlawful Drug User; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Conspiracy to Possess Methamphetamine;
• Treyon Antonio Williams, 30, of Savannah, 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:

• Timothy Lee Lanigan, 38, of Reidsville, Ga., was sentenced to 86 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Lanigan was on felony probation in June 2018 when Garden City Police officers found him in possession of a pistol during an investigation. 
• Tron Smith, 34, of Savannah, was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers responded in June 2019 to a report of a man brandishing a firearm at a motel and found a pistol inside the room Smith occupied. Smith’s criminal history includes multiple convictions for family violence and obstruction of law enforcement officers.
• Bryan Heyward, 21, of Savannah, sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers found Heyward in possession of a pistol during a September 2020 traffic stop.
• Damario Antron Williams, 35, of Augusta, sentenced 28 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies investigating a reported disturbance at an Augusta residence arrested Williams Jan. 16, 2021, when they found him with a pistol in his pocket.
• Joseph Deon Cuyler, 29, of Wrightsville, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The U.S. Marshals Service and Wrightsville Police arrested Cuyler April 15, 2021, on an outstanding felony warrant and found him in possession of a handgun.
• Derek Hayes, 51, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of Stolen Firearms. Savannah Police officers arrested Hayes after finding two pistols in his vehicle during an October 2020 traffic stop, and later determined the pistols had been stolen.
• Jamel Albert, 30, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers found Albert in possession of a pistol during an April 2021 traffic stop.   
• Charles Aimee Fields Jr., a/k/a “Slim,” 33, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Distribution of Crack Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Fields is among 14 defendants charged in September for their roles in operating an open-air drug market in an area of Savannah called “The Dips.”
• James Ricardo Harris, 29, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Harris was arrested in May 2019 when Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies found him in possession of a pistol during a traffic stop.
• Demont Latrell Gresham, 33, of Washington, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Gresham ran from Wilkes County Sheriff’s Deputies and Georgia State Patrol troopers in July 2020 when they attempted to arrest him on an outstanding warrant, and officers found a rifle in his vehicle. He was arrested in August 2020 when located by Wilkes County deputies.
• David McCain III, 35, of Hephzibah, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He was arrested on New Year’s Day 2020 when Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies investigating reports of celebratory gunfire found McCain, a convicted felon, in possession of an AR-15 style rifle with a high-capacity magazine.  
• B’Quan Ferguson, 31, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers found a pistol in Ferguson’s car during an October 2020 traffic stop. Ferguson has multiple prior state felony convictions, including violent felonies with firearms.
• Rasheen Dyshawn Stephens, 30, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers investigating a domestic disturbance on June 7, 2021, found a pistol and an extended magazine in Stephens’ pockets.

At least 15 firearms were seized and forfeited during these investigations and will be destroyed.

Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Patrol, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Jesup Police Department, the Pooler Police Department, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, the Wrightsville Police Department, the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office, and the McDuffie 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 John P. Harper III and Noah J. Abrams, Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and Timothy Ruffini, with firearms forfeitures coordinated through the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office Asset Forfeiture 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 on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.