Southern District of Georgia

SAVANNAH, GA:  As of January 18, 2025, and by virtue of the Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons is officially Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. She is the first Black woman to serve in the role as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Georgia.

A resident of Evans, Georgia, Acting USA Lyons has served as a law clerk for the Honorable Henry F. Floyd; as a Public Defender in Richland County, South Carolina; an attorney advisor for the Executive Office for United States Attorneys; as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division, District of South Carolina; and Deputy Chief in the Criminal Division, Southern District of Georgia. She served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney since April 2023.

During Acting USA Lyons’ 20-year career with the Department of Justice she has handled a wide range of federal cases related to violent crimes, human trafficking, child pornography and civil rights violations. In the District of South Carolina she served as the Project Sentry Coordinator, related to the prevention of gun violence; and in Southern District of Georgia, she served as the Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, responsible for the prosecution of childhood exploitation cases, and as the Civil Rights Coordinator, responsible for the prosecution of color of law and civil right violations.  

As Acting U.S. Attorney, Lyons serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Georgia, which covers 43 of Georgia’s 159 counties with a population of more than 1.6 million people and includes the cities of Savannah, Augusta, and Brunswick. She leads a team of more than 70 attorneys and staff in prosecuting federal crimes in the District and defending the United States in civil cases and collecting debts owed to the United States.

As of January 18, 2025, and by virtue of the Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons is officially Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. 

SAVANNAH, GA: Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include charges alleging felons illegally possessed firearms, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges. 

“Removing guns from the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them is a vital part of this office’s effort to fight violent crime,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Our law enforcement partners continue their valiant efforts to identify individuals who illegally possess weapons in our communities.”  

The cases are prosecuted 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) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally possess guns.

Those indicted in January include:

• Natravien Reshawn Landry, 25, of Abbeville, Louisiana, charged with Premeditated Murder and Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence for the Dec. 14, 2024, fatal shooting of U.S. Army Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr. at Fort Eisenhower in a case under investigation by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Also,
• Fitz Kenney Williams, 33, of Augusta, charged with Illegal Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment;
• Ruben Alejandro Reyna-Mendoza, 47, of Ridgeland, South Carolina, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and,
• Jarvis Jerrell Giles, 36, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

All indicted defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

Defendants recently adjudicated on federal firearms charges include:

• Lial Stephens, 28, of Pooler, Ga., was sentenced to 64 months in prison and ordered to pay $11,400 in restitution after pleading guilty to two counts of Interference with Commerce by Robbery. Stephens pointed a pistol at a Garden City, Ga., convenience store clerk during robberies in September and November 2023.
• Jeremy Studdard, 43, of Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 80 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Studdard, initially facing a federal gun charge, was out on bond for related state charges when Dublin police officers found him in possession of drugs and guns during two separate traffic stops.
• Ray Charles Canady III, 51, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Interference with Commerce by Robbery, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. Richmond County investigators arrested Canady after he brandished a firearm at an Augusta convenience store in February 2024 and threatened an employee before running from the store with cash and lottery tickets.
• Phillip Moore, 29, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers conducting foot patrol in a Savannah neighborhood found Moore in possession of a semiautomatic pistol while arresting him for trespassing. 
• Kenneth Moultrie Jr., 24, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers found a semiautomatic pistol in Moultrie’s possession during an April 2024 traffic stop.     

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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/atfw-form-4473

SAVANNAH, GA:  The divorced spouse of a deceased U.S. Army veteran awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to fraudulently claiming her ex-husband’s benefits.

Miranda Rachel Briggs, a/k/a “Miranda Rachel Fisher,”34, of Rincon, Georgia, pled guilty to Wire Fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The guilty plea subjects Briggs to a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and restitution.

“Programs that financially benefit surviving family members of deceased veterans are designed to provide a safety net to those survivors,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This guilty plea demonstrates the tenacity of investigators and prosecutors in dismantling this scheme.”

The guilty plea outlines key events that began in November 2015 when Briggs married G.B., a U.S. Army veteran, keeping her maiden name “Fisher.” Less than a year later, Briggs filed for divorce. Two weeks after the divorce was final, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs granted G.B.’s request to remove Briggs as a recipient of G.B.’s benefits.

Briggs filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January 2018, certifying that she and G.B. were divorced. After G.B. died about two weeks later, Briggs filed for VA benefits, falsely claiming to be G.B.’s surviving spouse. In April 2018 she also claimed to be G.B.’s spouse when applying for benefits from the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

As a result of those false claims, Briggs received approximately $49,000 for medical care, and approximately $80,000 in benefits from the VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Program.

After the VA’s initial decision to deny her claim to G.B.’s VA survivor benefits, Briggs submitted additional paperwork claiming she and G.B. were married until his death in 2018. Based on this claim, the VA granted her the benefits. She then filed a petition in Chatham County Superior Court, changing her name from Miranda Rachel Fisher to Miranda Rachel Briggs. In April 2021, Briggs was named administrator of G.B.’s estate after claiming in Chatham County Probate Court to be G.B.’s surviving spouse.

In March 2023, the Chatham County Probate Court removed Briggs as administrator after finding she was divorced from G.B. at the time of his death and not eligible to act as an administrator of his estate.

U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will schedule a sentencing hearing for Briggs after completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.

“This guilty plea holds the defendant accountable for defrauding vital VA programs that provide monetary benefits for survivors of service members and veterans,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the VA OIG Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to root out fraudulent activity and seek the prosecution of those who would compromise the integrity of VA’s programs and services.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States of America by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Z. Spitulnik and Patricia G. Rhodes. 

SAVANNAH, GA:  U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg has announced her resignation from her presidentially appointed position in the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office, effective Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Steinberg served as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for the 43-county Southern District of Georgia since being sworn into office Feb. 22, 2023. Her departure coincides with the pending transition to a new presidential administration and the traditional appointment of new leaders for federal agencies.

“Serving as U.S. Attorney has been a distinct honor and privilege, and I am grateful for the hard work, camaraderie, and friendship of the dedicated professionals who continue to serve on behalf of the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Representing the United States in court is an incredible responsibility, and those who seek justice on behalf of our nation deserve our lasting gratitude. I am proud to have served alongside them.”

During Steinberg’s tenure, the U.S. Attorney’s Office concluded a statewide investigation that identified unconstitutional conditions at Georgia’s state prisons; worked to hold accountable individuals responsible for more than $12 million in pandemic relief fraud;  and successfully prosecuted significant criminal cases including drug trafficking conspiracies, large-scale fraud operations, child sexual exploitation crimes, and nearly 200 cases involving illegal firearms possession. 

Highlights of U.S. Attorney Steinberg’s tenure include:

Criminal prosecutions for drugs, violent crime

• Operation Ghost Busted, the largest single drug trafficking indictment returned in the Southern District of Georgia, was designed to address, and did in fact address, the significant uptick of overdose deaths in the Brunswick, Georgia, area. The defendants, many of them affiliated with a white supremacist gang, collectively have been sentenced to more than 4,000 months in prison, including one defendant who received a life sentence.
• In Operation Night Drop, the U.S. Attorney’s Office indicted 15 defendants – many of them inmates in Georgia state prisons – for operating a widespread methamphetamine trafficking operation that used drones to deliver contraband to incarcerated conspirators.
• The U.S. Attorney’s Office successfully prosecuted a violent extremist who used a weapon of mass destruction on a Savannah street, and another who stalked a woman before using an explosive on her home.
• U.S. Attorney Steinberg took great care to ensure federal resources were used to vigorously defend against those who threatened our national security; the office prosecuted a hostile foreign state actor for exporting restricted equipment and information, and an individual for leaking classified information.

Protecting the vulnerable

The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized the protection of our most vulnerable citizens from sexual predators, including the prosecution of a defendant sentenced to 100 years in federal prison for sexually abusing multiple children, a defendant indicted for surreptitiously recording unclothed images of minors in a gym, and multiple defendants indicted as part of a multi-agency operation aimed at identifying online predators.

The office also reached a settlement with a Savannah-area landlord who engaged in a pattern and practice of sexually harassing female tenants for more than 15 years, and then coordinated a multi-agency community roundtable to provide public education on the rights of tenants in rental housing.

Fighting financial fraud

• The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the supervisor of the Glynn County public works department for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money for his own personal benefit.
• An individual who used the complex and emerging world of cryptocurrency to defraud multiple individual victims of over a million dollars was sent to prison.
• An office manager who abused her position of trust to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from a prominent real estate management company received a prison sentence and was ordered to pay restitution.
• The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted multiple individuals who committed millions of dollars in tax fraud and fraudulently accessed pandemic relief programs.
• The office successfully tried a years-long prosecution with the Antitrust Division involving a concrete company and its associates for engaging in anti-competitive practices such as price fixing, bid rigging, and market allocation.
• The office reached a $3.9 million settlement with two companies whose employee was murdered when he exposed a scheme by other employees to illegally profit from undocumented laborers.

In addition to these initiatives, U.S. Attorney Steinberg oversaw the revival of the district’s Human Trafficking Task Force and supported the office’s efforts to provide law enforcement training and public education on human trafficking. She also facilitated the district’s entry into the Department of Justice and Department of Commerce-led Disruptive Technology Strike Force, boosted participation in Chatham County’s HOPE Court, and strengthened efforts to pursue prosecution of domestic abusers who illegally possess firearms. Early in her tenure, Steinberg brought together leaders from federal law enforcement agencies to collaborate on major government-led initiatives.

Steinberg was a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) and the AGAC White Collar, Cyber, and Violent Crime Subcommittees. The AGAC is composed of select U.S. Attorneys who advise the Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management that impact the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

U.S. Attorney Steinberg emphasized the importance of community education, visiting school and civic groups and sending staff attorneys to build awareness in such vital areas as hate crimes enforcement, constitutional rights, and elder financial fraud, while supporting the office’s efforts to provide continuing education to law enforcement professionals in areas including white collar crime and human trafficking. The office conducted a public outreach program in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives regarding illegal firearms purchases, and coordinated multiple sessions across the district to train law enforcement officers on the growing threat of “ghost” guns and illegal machine gun conversion devices.

“It is my hope that the citizens of the Southern District of Georgia will feel safer and better informed and empowered through our outreach efforts,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Knowledge is a powerful tool, and informed citizens are a vital part of protecting our civil rights and the security of our neighborhoods.”

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney Steinberg was a partner at Ballard Spahr LLP. From 2008 to 2014, and from 2016 to 2021, she served the citizens of Georgia as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Criminal Chief in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. From 2014 to 2016, Steinberg worked at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. where she served as an Attorney Advisor in the National Security Division and then as Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. From 2001 to 2008, she was an associate at Rogers & Hardin LLP in Atlanta, Georgia.

Steinberg began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office from 1998 to 2001. She received her Juris Doctor from Duke University Law School in 1998 and her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Georgia in 1995.

As U.S. Attorney, Steinberg served as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Georgia, which covers 43 of Georgia’s 159 counties with a population of more than 1.6 million people and includes the cities of Savannah, Augusta, and Brunswick. She led a team of more than 70 attorneys and staff in prosecuting federal crimes in the district and defending the United States in civil cases brought in U.S. District Court.

Learn more about the district at www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/about-district.

A former Richmond County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office deputy has pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges involving an assault on a jail detainee.

Dantavion Jones, 33, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to an information charging the officer with one felony count of deprivation of civil rights under color of law.

According to court documents, Jones was a deputy with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. On May 7, 2022, Jones was working with other deputies at Richmond County’s Charles D. Webster Detention Center to secure inmates who had caused flooding in a section of the jail. Jones deliberately removed the handcuffs of a compliant inmate, after which another officer proceeded to punch him. Jones pleaded guilty to failing to intervene or stop the assault on the inmate, who was not posing a threat to anyone at the time of the assault. Former deputies Daniel D’Aversa and Melissa Morello previously pleaded guilty for their involvement in the same incident.

A sentencing date will be set at a later time. Jones faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, along with substantial fines and restitution, followed by up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Atlanta Field Office is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III for the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Anita T. Channapati of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

EDITED TO ADD: Landry has waived his right to a preliminary hearing. 

AUGUSTA, Ga.: The defendant charged with murder in the Dec. 14 shooting death of U.S. Army Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr. at Fort Eisenhower has been ordered to remain in federal custody.

Natravien Landry, 25, of Abbeville, Louisiana, a soldier in the Army National Guard, is charged with murder. Following a Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 18, hearing, U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Brian K. Epps ordered Landry to be detained pending further court proceedings.

Landry has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

The case is being investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry W. Syms Jr., Patricia G. Rhodes and Kelsey L. Scanlon, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Capt. Jacqueline M. Stryker.  

AUGUSTA, GA:  A former Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputy has pled guilty to federal civil rights charges involving an assault on a jail detainee.

Dantavion Jones, 33, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to an Information charging him with Deprivation of Civil Rights Under Color of Law. The guilty plea subjects Jones to a possible sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, along with substantial fines and restitution, followed by up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

As described in the plea agreement, Jones was a deputy with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and, with other personnel,  responded to Richmond County’s Charles D. Webster Detention Center on May 7, 2022, to secure inmates who had caused flooding in a section of the jail.

A pretrial detainee, referred to in court documents as Victim 1, “was handcuffed, face-down on the ground, and was not posing a threat to anyone” when another deputy shouted that the detainee wanted his handcuffs removed. A jailer attempted unsuccessfully to unlock the handcuffs, and Jones “then proceeded to unlock and remove the handcuffs from Victim 1.” Another deputy then repeatedly punched the detainee and placed him in a chokehold, while Jones “failed to intervene to stop or attempt to stop the assault.”

Two other former Sheriff’s Office staff members, former Corporal Daniel D’Aversa, 52, and former jailer Melissa Morello, 27, await sentencing after previously pleading guilty to Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law in the underlying case.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule sentencing for Jones upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III and Anita T. Channapati of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. 

SAVANNAH, GA:  A Chatham County man identified as a leader in a drug trafficking network has been sentenced to nearly 15 years in prison.

Kenyona Pinckney, 33, of Savannah, was sentenced to 178 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Methamphetamine, and Marijuana, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The sentence will be served consecutive to Pinckney’s current term of state imprisonment for a separate conviction. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Pinckney to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“The conspiracy identified in this investigation was responsible for distributing multiple kilograms of illegal drugs in the greater Savannah area and beyond,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This sentence is a credit to the outstanding investigative work of our law enforcement partners.”

As described in court documents and testimony, Pinckney was housed in the Georgia Department of Corrections Transition Center in Columbus, Ga., serving a state sentence for trafficking methamphetamine, and was using contraband cell phones to coordinate shipments of multiple kilos of cocaine and methamphetamine into the Savannah area, including Chatham, Bulloch, Effingham, and Laurens counties. The conspiracy first came to the attention of investigators when Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Virginia determined that drugs coming into that state were coordinated by one of Pinckney’s co-conspirators in Savannah.

The January 2024 indictment in USA v. Pinckney et al. charged Pinckney and 12 co-defendants in the conspiracy. Four of those co-defendants have been sentenced after pleading guilty; two have entered guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing; while five defendants are awaiting further proceedings and are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

“Whether drug dealers operate out on the street or behind bars, the Drug Enforcement Administration stands ready to deliver justice,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.

“Customs and Border Protection officers remain committed to working with our valued local, state, and federal partners to keep dangerous drugs from reaching our community’s streets and protecting the residents of Georgia,” said Andrea Coffey, Acting Area Port Director, CBP Savannah.

“This case highlights the broad reach of the law enforcement community to bring together federal, state and local partners to dismantle a large distributor of illicit drugs,” said Jason Krizmanich, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “Postal Inspectors objectives are to rid the mail of illegal drug trafficking, preserve the integrity of the mail system, and provide a safe environment for postal employees and the American public.”

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Georgia Ports Authority Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Chatham Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Georgia State Patrol, the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham County Police Department, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, and the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Z. Spitulnik and OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo. 

The Justice Department announced yesterday that it filed a lawsuit alleging that the City of Brunswick, Georgia, violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) through its efforts to interfere with and permanently close The Well, a faith-based resource center affiliated with the United Methodist Church for those experiencing homelessness.    

“Federal law protects the right of religious groups such as The Well to use their land to help others,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The division will continue to vindicate the rights of groups to exercise their religion and fight local land use laws that unlawfully restrict those rights.”

“We will take the steps necessary, including filing suit, to protect religious exercise against unreasonable and improper restrictions,” said U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “This office will steadfastly defend against unlawful local action the right of institutions like The Well to lawfully use their land to help their communities as an expression of their religious beliefs.”

The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia alleges that, since 2014, The Well, as an expression of its staff’s Christian faith, has operated a daytime hospitality and religious resource center for those experiencing homelessness, offering showers, laundry, meals and other services. In public filings seeking federal funding, the city touted The Well’s services as part of the city’s efforts to reduce and end homelessness, but the city later engaged in a campaign to close The Well, blaming it for unrelated criminal activity in Brunswick. Even after The Well adopted safety and security measures suggested by the Brunswick Police Department, the city filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to close it.  

The complaint alleges that the city’s efforts to close The Well have imposed a substantial burden on The Well’s religious exercise, that the city lacks a compelling interest and has not employed the least restrictive means of enforcing its purported interest. The complaint seeks injunctive relief prohibiting the city from substantially burdening The Well’s religious exercise.

RLUIPA is a federal law that protects religious institutions from unduly burdensome or discriminatory land use regulations. In June 2018, the Justice Department announced its Place to Worship Initiative, which focuses on RLUIPA’s provisions that protect the rights of houses of worship and other religious institutions to worship on their land.

Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination in land use or zoning decisions may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at USAGAS.Civil.Rights@usdoj.gov or the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at (800) 896-7743, or may submit a report through the complaint portal on the Place to Worship Initiative website.

AUGUSTA, GA:  An Army National Guard soldier has been charged with murder after a weekend shooting in a Fort Eisenhower residence.

Natravien Landry, 25, of Abbeville, Louisiana, is charged via complaint with one count of murder, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Landry was in court Monday for an initial appearance hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps. A detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

As described in court documents and testimony, Landry is an Army National Guard soldier assigned to the 1148th Transportation Company at Fort Eisenhower. He is alleged to have visited the residence in post housing at Fort Eisenhower early Saturday morning, Dec. 14, of a woman with whom Landry shares a child. Landry is accused of assaulting and shooting a man who was with the woman in her residence, and then leaving Fort Eisenhower. Landry was arrested about three hours later south of Atlanta on Interstate 85 during a traffic stop by the Meriwether County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, and deputies recovered a 9 mm pistol during the stop.

The U.S. Marshals Service took Landry into custody and transported him to the Lincoln County Jail, where he awaits further court proceedings. 

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

The case is being investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry W. Syms Jr., Patricia G. Rhodes and Kelsey L. Scanlon, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Capt. Jacqueline M. Stryker.  

AUGUSTA, GA:  A former U.S. Air Force airman has been sentenced to federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse images.

Jacob Christian Butler, 33, of Augusta, was sentenced to 84 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Child Pornography, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Butler to register as a sex offender and to serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Possessing child pornography perpetuates the victimization of child sexual abuse survivors,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to protect our most vulnerable citizens.”

As described in court documents and testimony, Butler was a U.S. Air Force Airman First Class assigned to Fort Eisenhower with a high level of security clearance. A security system at a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) detected a prohibited cellular device in Butler’s possession when he entered the facility, and security personnel seized the phone.

Investigators searched the device and found multiple images of child sexual abuse. Additional devices containing hundreds of similar images and videos later were found during a search of Butler’s residence.

While Judge Hall determined restitution is owed to victims identified in the images, he agreed to delay the final determination of restitution pending further investigation.

“This prosecution is another example of law enforcement working together to protect our children,” said FBI Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Ozden. “FBI Atlanta will continue to pursue predators and hold them accountable for their actions.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. Blanchard and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Counsel.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.

Prolific fentanyl dealer who supplied drugs in Operation Ghost Busted sentenced to federal prison

Investigation was spurred by increase in overdose deaths

Brunswick, GA:  A Florida man convicted of distributing enough fentanyl to kill every resident of a south Georgia community has been sentenced to federal prison.

Larry B. Taylor, 59, of Jacksonville, Florida, one of 76 defendants indicted in Operation Ghost Busted, was sentenced to 180 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute a Quantity of Fentanyl, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Taylor to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“It’s a remarkable illustration of the toll of death and destruction from Larry Taylor’s drug-dealing that overdoses in the Brunswick area plummeted after he and his co-conspirators were taken into custody in January 2023,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “The investigation and prosecution in Operation Ghost Busted not only holds criminal behavior accountable – it also demonstrably saves lives.”

Taylor was the primary source of fentanyl to the conspiracy outlined in the Dec. 2022 indictment in USA v. Alvarez et al. Dubbed Operation Ghost Busted because of the drug traffickers’ involvement in the Ghost Face Gangsters and other criminal street gangs, the investigation identified a drug trafficking conspiracy distributing large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and alprazolam in the greater Glynn County area.

For his part, Taylor is attributed with distributing more than three kilograms of fentanyl – enough to kill the entire population of the city of Brunswick. As described during sentencing, Taylor has been arrested more than 50 times and has at least 10 prior felony convictions – and at least eight times after conviction, Taylor violated conditions of parole or supervised release.

The investigation was spurred in 2020 by a significant increase in drug overdoses and deaths throughout the greater Glynn County Area. Investigators from the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, the Glynn County Police Department, the Brunswick Police Department, the Glynn County Sheriff's Office, and the Camden County Sheriff's Office collaborated with other agencies to identify a sprawling drug trafficking network in coastal and south Georgia and reaching into Mexican cartels. The traffickers operated inside and outside Georgia prisons, as corrupt prison guards coordinated with members of the violent Ghost Face Gangsters and affiliates of other gangs including the Aryan Brotherhood, Surenos, Bloods, and Gangster Disciples.

Of the 76 original defendants in Operation Ghost Busted, 73 have been sentenced to prison terms of as much as life in prison after pleading guilty. Two are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty, including David D. Young, a/k/a “Khaos,’ 43, of Hortense, Ga., who was a fugitive until his March capture in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, a month after the case was featured on “America’s Most Wanted.” One defendant died while awaiting trial.

All defendants in Operation Ghost Busted have a history of illegal drug use, including several who survived repeat overdoses. Fifty of the defendants are high school dropouts, and all defendants collectively have been arrested more than 1,000 times and convicted of more than 250 felonies, with more than 260 violations of probation, parole, or supervised release.

Believed to be the largest drug trafficking prosecution in the history of the Southern District of Georgia, Operation Ghost Busted was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Agencies involved in the investigation include the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Georgia Department of Corrections; the Georgia Department of Community Supervision; the Glynn County Police Department; the Brunswick Police Department; the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office; and sheriff’s offices from Pierce, Camden, Wayne, Treutlen, McIntosh, Toombs, Telfair, Dodge, and Ware counties. The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland and Criminal Division Deputy Chief E. Greg Gilluly Jr.

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AUGUSA, GA:  A Richmond County woman has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for defrauding a COVID-19 small business relief program.

Kameka Bausley, 43, of Augusta, was sentenced to 32 months in prison after pleading guilty to Wire Fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also ordered Bausley to pay $71,933 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Congress provided more than $600 billion in funding to help small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Unfortunately, that level of funding also attracted scam artists. With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold accountable those who illegally profit from safety net programs.”

As described in court documents and at sentencing, Bausley, was a U.S. Postal Service employee and collecting workers’ compensation benefits when she defrauded the Small Business Administration by using fabricated revenue and expense information about her catering business to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program funding, ultimately receiving deposits totaling $71,933 through the two Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Programs.

“This sentencing underlines our dedication to holding people accountable who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain,” said Jonathan Ulrich, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators and the legal teams at the U.S. Attorney’s Office will diligently pursue anyone who attempts to commit COVID-19 fraud and exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.”   

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

SAVANNAH, GA: Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include charges alleging felons illegally possessed firearms, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges. 

“Illegally possessed firearms increase the likelihood of violent crime in our communities,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners in holding accountable individuals who violate firearms laws.” 

The cases are prosecuted 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) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally possess guns.

Those indicted in December include:

• Antonio Perez Allen, 35, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Jamaughnee Duncan, 25, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and,
• Jakeem Bryant, 29, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

All indicted defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendants recently adjudicated on federal firearms charges include:

• Desirae Heinsler, 38, of Eastman, Ga., was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm. After officers from the Rochester (NY) Police Department recovered multiple illegally possessed firearms, the investigation determined the guns originally were purchased in Georgia by Heinsler, who provided false information to a licensed dealer in Jeff Davis County to buy the guns.
• Jordan Richardson, 24, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Interference with Commerce by Robbery, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession and Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. Richardson fired multiple shots into the vehicle of a Savannah grocery store employee who was taking the day’s receipts to a bank, hitting the driver and a bystander before fleeing with the deposit bag. Richardson, who faces a sentence of up to life in prison, previously was convicted of felonies including illegal gun possession.
• Jordan Beverly Howard, 37, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, while a co-defendant, Joshua Robert Ward, 45, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Ward was on parole on state drug trafficking charges when Richmond County sheriff’s investigators searched the residence Howard and Ward shared and found drugs and two pistols.
• O’kere Shields, 22, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers found a pistol in Shields’ residence while investigating a report of gunfire.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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/atfw-form-4473

WAYCROSS, GA:  Eight Chinese nationals have been indicted on felony charges after investigators discovered massive indoor marijuana growing operations in rural south Georgia.

All eight defendants are charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute and Possession with Intent to Distribute more than 1,000 marijuana plants, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Conviction on those charges carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to life, along with fines of up to $10 million and at least five years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“This investigation alleges the discovery of a massive clandestine operation illegally growing marijuana on two locations hidden in plain sight,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Our exceptional law enforcement partners identified these illicit operations and are working to hold these defendants accountable.”

As described in court documents and in initial court hearings, the investigation identified two large-scale indoor marijuana growing facilities on two tracts of land in Pierce and Brantley Counties.

The defendants indicted in USA v. Huang et al. all are Chinese nationals, including:

• Hiawen Huang, 54;
• Yim Hung Yuen,61;
• Chen Hui Shu, 35;
• Jen Peng Ma, 34;
• Zhu Sheng Bing, 64;
• Wei Sheng Deng, 42;
• Lecai Huang, 67; and,
• Zhi Yong Ma, 52.

In addition to the conspiracy and drug possession charges, Shu, Ma, Bing, and Deng also are charged with Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Similarly, Lecai Huang and Ma are charged with a separate count of Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

Hiawen Huang and Yim Hung Yuen are believed to have left the United States. The remaining defendants have made their initial appearance hearings in U.S. Magistrate Court and await further court proceedings.

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

The case was initiated by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and also investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Brantley County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia G. Rhodes and Darron J. Hubbard. 

SAVANNAH, GA:  A Chinese national has been indicted for his role in a multi-state scheme that swindled more than $1 million by targeting senior citizens.

Xiao Kun Cheung, 58, is charged with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Wire Fraud, Receiving the Proceeds of Extortion, and Possession of Controlled Substances, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charges carry a statutory penalty upon conviction of up to 20 years in prison and substantial financial penalties, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“This indictment uncovers a financially devastating scheme that targeted seniors up to 92 years old. It represents just a fraction of the multitude of victims of elder fraud each year in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With our law enforcement partners, we are committed to protecting vulnerable citizens from the predation of scam artists.”

Originally indicted in September, the superseding federal indictment returned in December by the Southern District Grand Jury alleges that Cheung was part of a conspiracy that targeted elderly victims in multiple cities including Savannah and Pooler, Georgia; Naples, Florida; and Cleveland, Tennessee. The conspirators initially contacted seniors through phone calls or pop-up messages on their computers, falsely claiming that the victim’s computer or financial accounts had been compromised.

The conspirators, claiming to provide assistance to the seniors, then persuaded the elderly victims to withdraw large sums of money, purchase gift cards, or buy gold bars to deliver to a conspirator for safekeeping by a government agency. Cheung was arrested in March while attempting to pick up approximately $132,000 in gold bars from a victim in Pooler.

As discussed in court documents and testimony, Cheung is a previously deported Chinese national illegally present in the United States. He currently is being held in federal custody awaiting further court proceedings.

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

According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), in 2023, victims older than age 60 represented the largest single age group targeted by fraud, losing more than $3.5 billion – an almost 11 percent increase from 2022, with more than $92 million in losses to senior victims in Georgia alone. The average dollar loss of each elderly victim was nearly $34,000. Significantly, law enforcement officials believe the amount of fraud is significantly higher than reported because many victims are embarrassed or afraid to report the crime.

Scams commonly targeting older adults include:

• Government imposter fraud, in which individuals falsely claim to represent a government agency such as Social Security, the Internal Revenue Service, Medicaid, or local, state, or federal law enforcement, contact a person to “warn” them of alleged suspicious activity and take possession of money or other items of value from the victim for “safekeeping”;
• Tech support scams, with telemarketers claiming to help “hacking” victims, or notifying the victim of false lottery winnings or other prizes; and,
• Romance scams, in which scammers use dating sites, social networks, or chat rooms to contact older adults and build online relationships so the scammer can persuade the victim to send them money.

To avoid falling victim to these and other scams, the Department of Justice Elder Justice Initiative advises potential victims and their caregivers to:

• Accept computer or other technical support only from known, trusted individuals or from a person you’ve hired for that purpose;
• Scammers falsely claim you must act immediately; before taking any action to purportedly help a grandchild or other relative or friend, check with that person or that person’s relation by phone to validate the request;
• If a caller claims to be from an established organization such as a charity or law enforcement, look up the number of the organization independently and call them to verify the request;
• Consider it a red flag if the caller insists on secrecy. Never allow anyone to discourage you from seeking information, verification, and counsel from family or friends before making any financial transaction;
• The federal government will never call you on the phone to ask for personal information or to threaten you;
• Do not send money, gift cards, or wire transfers to anyone you’ve met only online; and,
• Do not click on links sent to you in unsolicited emails or text messages.

Those who believe they have been, or who may know, victims of elder fraud are asked to call 911 in an emergency, or contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311). Educational resources on elder fraud and abuse are available online at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

This case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Pooler Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and Matthew A. Josephson. 

Sergey Nechaev, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was arrested today in the Southern District of Georgia on charges related to the unlawful attempted export of two small aircraft to Russia. In conjunction with the arrest, the U.S. government also seized the aircraft.

According to the indictment, between March 3, 2023, and March 24, 2023, Nechaev engaged in a scheme to violate and evade U.S. export control laws and regulations by attempting to smuggle two Cessna aircraft from the United States to Russia by transshipping them through Armenia. Specifically, after the U.S. government imposed stricter controls on Russia in February 2022, Nechaev attempted to export a 1968 Cessna 172K and a 1973 Cessna, valued together at approximately $170,000, to a purported Russian flight school, without the required license or authorization from the Department of Commerce. To conceal the true end user and destination of the aircraft, Nechaev falsely represented that the end user and destination were in Armenia.

Nechaev is charged with attempting to export controlled goods without a license in violation of the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), smuggling goods contrary to U.S. law, and causing the submission of false and misleading information in Electronic Export Information paperwork submitted through the Automated Export System. If convicted, Nechaev faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the unlawful attempted export of controlled goods; up to 10 years in prison for smuggling; and up to five years in prison for falsifying export information. The aircraft will also be subject to forfeiture as property involved in the commission of the crime. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron Hubbard and L. Alexander Hamner for the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorneys Leslie Esbrook and Fatema Merchant of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that, beginning in 2014, the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

SAVANNAH, GA:  The manager of a Chatham County company has been charged in a newly unsealed indictment with creating fraudulent invoices for fake vendors to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from a building materials company.

John Laakso, a/k/a “John Larson, a/k/a “John Trebesch,” 56, of Sarasota, Florida, is charged in a federal indictment with four counts of Wire Fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Conviction on each charge would subject Laakso to a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison, along with substantial fines and restitution, and a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“This indictment alleges a scheme in which an employee betrayed the trust of an employer for self-enrichment at the employer’s expense,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend the work of our law enforcement partners in unraveling this fraudulent operation.”

As described in the indictment, Laakso worked as a contractor, and later as engineering manager, with GAF Materials Corporation. One of his duties was to procure equipment and services for the GAF facility in Savannah.

The indictment alleges that from 2021 to 2023, Laakso “assumed fictitious personas and created pass-through companies, hiding these activities from GAF.” He would award contracts to those fictitious companies which, in turn, would subcontract with an actual vendor to provide the product or service at a lower cost. Laakso would then keep the difference in price “for his own use and enjoyment.”

The scheme resulted in GAF paying more than $1.3 million in fraudulent invoices, with Laakso keeping hundreds of thousands for himself from the marked-up costs.

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

The case is being investigated by the FBI, and is prosecuted for the United States of America by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and Bradford C. Patrick. 

AUGUSTA, GA:  The tenth defendant charged in an Augusta-area drug trafficking conspiracy has been found guilty at trial, representing the final defendant in the case with all others currently serving prison terms.

Donnie Skillman, 47, of Augusta, faces up to life in federal prison after his conviction on methamphetamine-trafficking and firearms possession charges, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

“All 10 defendants in this drug-trafficking network are now being held accountable for distributing dangerous, addictive drugs in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We applaud the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners in identifying and eliminating this threat to the safety of our neighborhoods.”

After a two-day trial in U.S. District Court, the jury found Skillman guilty of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number.

Skillman was one of 10 defendants charged in USA v. Walters et al., an indictment unsealed in December 2023 identifying a major methamphetamine trafficking operation distributing drugs throughout the Augusta area. The other nine defendants are serving federal prison sentences after pleading guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy charges, including:

• Edward Jake Walters, a/k/a “State Farm,” a/k/a “Jake from State Farm,” 30, of Grovetown, Ga., sentenced to 87 months in prison and fined $1,500;
• Phillip Smith, 50, of Augusta, sentenced to 156 months in prison and fined $1,500;
• Dustin Bayles, 36, of Thomson, Ga., sentenced to 135 months in prison and fined $1,500;
• Glen Taylor, 43, of Beech Island, S.C., sentenced to 37 months in prison and fined $1,500;
• Linda Campbell, 54, of Augusta, sentenced to 68 months in prison and fined $1,000;
• Joshua Wasden, 36, of Thomson, Ga., sentenced to 120 months in prison and fined $2,000;
• Brian Hilliard, 41, of Augusta, sentenced to 108 months in prison and fined $2,500;
• Gary Holcomb, 61, of Martinez, Ga., sentenced to 188 months in prison and fined $2,000; and,
• Destiny Poole, 24, of Grovetown, Ga., sentenced to 87 months in prison and fined $1,500.

Smith, Hilliard and Holcomb also pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule sentencing for Skillman upon completion of a presentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.

“Guns, drugs, and violence are unfortunately all too common tools of the drug dealers operating in our communities,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta Division. “This verdict demonstrates DEA’s emphatic commitment to dismantling these dangerous drug trafficking organizations.”

“Our priority is to ensure that individuals who endanger public safety through drug trafficking and illegal gun possession are brought to justice,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. “This successful prosecution is a testament to the hard work and collaboration of all agencies involved in this investigation.”

“The conviction in this extensive methamphetamine trafficking operation underscores our commitment to dismantling dangerous criminal organizations that threaten the safety of our communities,” said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey. “This case is a testament to the tireless efforts and the unwavering resolve of our law enforcement partners to hold criminals accountable and protect our neighborhoods from the devastating impact of illegal drugs.”

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office; the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office; the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office; and the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office; and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley R. Thompson and Kelsey L. Scanlon.

SAVANNAH, GA: Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges for illegal firearms possession, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges. 

“As we continue to see the proliferation of illegal guns converted to fully automatic fire, we commend our law enforcement partners for acting to contain this threat to our neighborhoods,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Keeping firearms out of the hands of felons remains a priority for our office.” 

The cases are prosecuted 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) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally possess guns.

Those indicted in November include:

• Antonio Rodriquez Holmes III, 30, of Augusta, charged with Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun, Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Luke Bunyun Jr., 46, of Waynesboro, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and,
• Lemar Neil Robinson, 35, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

Also charged in a recently unsealed indictment was Charlie Sapp, 57, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

All indicted defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendants recently adjudicated on federal firearms charges include:

• Richard Bruce Salyer Jr., 49, of Forsyth, Ga., was sentenced to 170 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Chatham County police officers found a pistol in Salyer’s waistband while investigating a report of a stolen vehicle in November 2023. Salyer has two prior convictions for illegally possessing firearms, and at the time of his arrest was an escapee from the Jefferson County, Ga., Correctional Institute.
• David Kreiss, 49, of Twin City, Ga., was sentenced to 88 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. Twin City police found Kreiss in possession of a rifle and four shotguns while investigating a domestic disturbance.
• Kavon Smalls, 29, of Savannah, was sentenced to 42 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police found a pistol after chasing Smalls when he ran away from a vehicle that crashed during an attempted traffic stop.
• Keyeon Demar Tykeim Smith, 23, of Augusta, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment. Richmond County deputies found a pistol in Smith’s possession while serving an arrest warrant.
• Maleak J. Parrish, 24, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police fund a pistol in Parrish’s possession during a traffic stop.
• Willie Dunbar, 45, of Villa Rica, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Machine Gun. During a January traffic stop, Wheeler County deputies found Dunbar in possession of a Polymer80 “ghost gun” fitted with a device converting it to automatic fire.
• Brodrick Kyle Merritt, 42, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon as an armed career criminal. Richmond County deputies found a pistol in Merritt’s possession during a traffic stop. Merritt was on probation on state charges when arrested, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
• Raquan Williams, 23, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm. Williams attempted to purchase a shotgun from a Chatham County firearms dealer in June 2023, falsely claiming he was not under indictment at the time on state charges for armed robbery and aggravated assault.
• Stanley Hall, 22, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police found Hall in possession of a handgun while investigating a reported attempted vehicle break-in.
• Corinthian Lamar Colonel, 26, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Officers from the Savannah Police Department and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision found two firearms in Colonel’s residence during a September 2023 search.
• Eddie Robertson, 30, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers found Robertson in possession of a handgun after a December 2023 traffic stop and foot chase.
• Jacorey Rivers, 32, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Machinegun, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. Rivers was on supervised release when he fled from a traffic stop and crashed. Officers found a Glock pistol in his possession that had been converted to automatic fire.
• Scottie Eugene Bryant, 48, of Grovetown, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Grovetown police officers searched Bryant’s residence and seized multiple firearms in April 2023.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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/atfw-form-4473

NOTE: Edited to remove one defendant. 

SAVANNAH, GA:  Ten defendants face multiple drug trafficking charges after the unsealing of a federal indictment alleging a regional conspiracy to distribute large amounts of multiple illegal drugs.

The defendants all face a primary charge of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Oxycodone, and Marijuana, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. That charge carries upon conviction a statutory penalty of up to life in prison, along with substantial financial penalties, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“This drug trafficking investigation required significant coordination from multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify and interrupt the conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend the hard work of our law enforcement partners in protecting our community.”

The newly unsealed indictment in USA v. Johnson, et al., describes a drug trafficking conspiracy operating throughout Bulloch, Chatham, and Liberty counties. Multiple law enforcement agencies, coordinated through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, identified the key members of the conspiracy and conducted multiple searches of homes, vehicles, and “trap houses” in which drugs were stored, and during those searches discovered and seized large amounts of drugs along with 11 firearms.

The defendants were charged in the indictment and after it was unsealed have been making their initial appearances in U.S. District Court. 

Those charged with conspiracy in USA v. Johnson et al. are:

• William Johnson, a/k/a “G,” a/k/a “Gansta,” 36, of Hinesville, Ga.;
• Keannon Wyckoff, a/k/a “Cuz,” a/k/a “Lank,” a/k/a “Link,” 41, of Statesboro;
• Thomas Blagmon, 40, of Hinesville;
• James Blagmon, a/k/a “G-Man,” 41, of Allenhurst, Ga.;
• Erick Collins, a/k/a “E,” a/k/a “Big E,” 53, of Statesboro;
• Christopher Grant, “a/k/a “Crip,” a/k/a “Scrappy,” 36, of Hinesville;
• Antwuan Byrd, 39, of Midway, Ga.;
• Dederick Bryant, 45, of Ludowici, Ga.;
• Jacob Robinson, a/k/a “Miles,” 48, of Hinesville; and,
• Irma Wyckoff, a/k/a “Auntie,” 60, of Hinesville.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, multiple defendants also face other charges alleging drug possession and distribution, illegal firearms possession, and for maintaining drug-involved premises.

The indictment contains only charges; all defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

This case is being prosecuted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Georgia Ports Authority Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Savannah Police Department, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the Hinesville Police Department, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, and the Long County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese and Assistant U.S. Attorney and OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo. 

SAVANNAH, GA:  A Chatham County man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to receiving images of child sexual abuse.

David Johnathan Perry, 43, of Savannah, was sentenced to 97 months in prison after pleading guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Perry to pay $55,000 in restitution and to serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Protecting our most vulnerable citizens is essential, and that includes preventing the spread of sexual abuse material depicting children,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend the work of our law enforcement partners for their success in identifying and eliminating these threats.”

As described in court documents and testimony, the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received multiple CyberTip reports identifying child sexual abuse material stored in a Google account registered to Perry’s residence. Investigators searched the residence and seized multiple electronic devices found to contain thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography.

“Every time one of these images is shared or viewed it revictimizes an innocent child and makes the healing process start over again, that is why stopping those who traffic in these disturbing images of abuse so important,” said Steven N. Schrank, acting special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta that covers Georgia and Alabama. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to detect, investigate and prosecute those who seek to exploit our most vulnerable population.”

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Savannah Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. Blanchard.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.

AUGUSTA, GA:  Two former Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputies have pled guilty to federal civil rights charges involving an assault on a jail detainee.

Daniel D’Aversa, 52, and Melissa Morello, 27, await sentencing after each pled guilty to an Information charging them with Deprivation of Civil Rights Under Color of Law. The guilty plea subjects each defendant to a possible sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, along with substantial fines and restitution, followed by up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

As described in the plea agreements, Morello was a jailer at Richmond County’s Charles D. Webster Detention Center, and D’Aversa was a corporal with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Both were at the jail on May 7, 2022, working with other Richmond County Sheriff’s Office jailers and deputies to secure inmates who had caused flooding in a section of the jail.

A pretrial detainee, referred to in court documents as Victim 1, was handcuffed face-down in the jail when D’Aversa and Morello shouted to other staff members that Victim 1 wanted his handcuffs removed. Morello then “attempted to unlock Victim 1’s handcuffs so that another employee would have an excuse to go hands-on with him,” and when Morello was unsuccessful, a deputy listed as Deputy 2 then unlocked and removed the handcuffs.

A deputy listed as Deputy 1 then “repeatedly punched Victim 1 and placed him in a chokehold. … During Deputy 1’s assault on Victim 1,” and both Morello and D’Aversa “failed to intervene to stop or attempt to stop the assault,” despite having the opportunity to do so.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule sentencing for D’Aversa and Morello upon completion of pre-sentence investigations by U.S. Probation Services.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III and Anita T. Channapati of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. 

Two former Richmond County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office deputies pleaded guilty yesterday to federal civil rights charges involving an assault on a jail detainee.

Daniel D’Aversa, 52, and Melissa Morello, 28, pleaded guilty to an information charging both officers with one felony count of deprivation of civil rights under color of law.

According to court documents, Morello was assigned as a jailer at Richmond County’s Charles D. Webster Detention Center, and D’Aversa was a corporal with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. On May 7, 2022, Morello and D’Aversa were working with other Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputies to secure inmates who had caused flooding in a section of the jail. Fellow deputies deliberately removed the handcuffs of a compliant inmate and then proceeded to punch and kick him. Both Morello and D’Aversa pleaded guilty to failing to intervene or stop the assault on the inmate, who was not posing a threat to anyone at the time of the assault.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule sentencing for D’Aversa and Morello upon completion of pre-sentence investigations by U.S. Probation Services.

Sentencing hearings will be set at a later date. Both D’Aversa and Morello face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, along with substantial fines and restitution, followed by up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and any other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Atlanta Field Office is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III for the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Anita T. Channapati of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

AUGUSTA, GA:  A former employee of a U.S. Department of Defense component agency faces up to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to mishandling sensitive documents.

Margaret Anne Ashby, 26, of Henderson, Nevada, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to an Information charging her with Unauthorized Removal/Retention of Classified Documents, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The guilty plea subjects Ashby to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison, along with substantial financial penalties, and up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Maintaining confidentiality of sensitive government documents is essential to protecting our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Those who are granted the privilege of working with such material are well aware of the rules regarding the safekeeping of these documents, and also are aware of the consequences for failing to comply with those rules.”

As described in the plea agreement, starting in March 2020, Ashby was a civilian employee of a Department of Defense component agency located in the Southern District of Georgia, and during this time held a Top Secret security clearance as required for her employment.

From February 2022 to May 2022, Ashby, without authority, knowingly removed documents and materials containing classified information “concerning the national defense or foreign relations of the United States . . . with the intent to retain them at unauthorized locations, including her residence in the Southern District of Georgia and in digital files saved via a personal computing device located in the Southern District of Georgia.”

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule a sentencing hearing for Ashby upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.

“When people violate the trust given to them to safeguard our nation’s intelligence, they put our country at risk,” said FBI Atlanta Assistant Agent in Charge Brian Ozden. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will seek to hold accountable those who knowingly and willfully mishandle classified information.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys L. Alexander Hamner and Darron J. Hubbard, and Trial Attorney David J. Ryan with the U.S. Department of Justice Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. 

Margaret Anne Ashby, 26, of Henderson, Nevada, pleaded guilty today for mishandling sensitive documents as a former employee of a Department of Defense component agency.

As described in the plea agreement, starting in March 2020, Ashby was a civilian employee of a Department of Defense component agency located in the Southern District of Georgia, and during this time held a top secret security clearance as required for her employment.

From February 2022 to May 2022, Ashby, without authority, knowingly removed documents and materials containing classified information “concerning the national defense or foreign relations of the United States . . . with the intent to retain them at unauthorized locations, including her residence in the Southern District of Georgia and in digital files saved via a personal computing device located in the Southern District of Georgia.”

A sentencing date has not yet been set. Ashby faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and three years of supervised release for mishandling sensitive documents, along with substantial financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia, and Robert Wells of the FBI National Security Branch announced the case.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys L. Alexander Hamner and Darron J. Hubbard for the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney David J. Ryan of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

SAVANNAH, Ga.: Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg announced today that she has appointed a District Election Officer (DEO) to lead the efforts of the office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 5, 2024, general election.

The DEO is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

U.S. Attorney Steinberg said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice.  The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).   

U.S. Attorney Steinberg stated that, “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the DEO will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. The DEO can be reached by the public at the following telephone number, 912-201-2560, or by email at USAGAS.Election@usdoj.gov.”

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.  The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 770-216-3000.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

U.S. Attorney Steinberg said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency. 

SAVANNAH, GA: Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges. 

“Illegally possessed guns, particularly those converted to automatic fire, are a persistent threat to public safety,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “With our law enforcement partners, we are committed to eliminating these sources of violence in our communities.” 

The cases are prosecuted 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) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally possess guns.

Those indicted in October include:

• Javon Edwards, 30, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Machine Gun, referring to a pistol converted to automatic fire with a “Glock switch”; and,
• Travis Sanders, 44, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

All indicted defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendants recently adjudicated on federal firearms charges include:

• Laron Thompson, a/k/a “Hollywood,” 38, of Savannah, was sentenced to 115 months in prison after pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy charge and to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Thompson is one of 10 defendants, including Tyquian Bowman, a/k/a “Quando Rondo,” 24, of Savannah, indicted in 2023 in a Savannah-area drug trafficking conspiracy.
• Jacqueline Christmas, 50, of Statesboro, was sentenced to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm. An ATF investigation determined that Christmas purchased multiple handguns from a Bulloch County gun store, falsely claiming a legal owner was the buyer of the guns when they were actually purchased by and delivered in New York to Christmas’ brother-in-law, who since has pled guilty to related federal firearms charges.
• Jakobian Sentell Jones, 25, of Warrenton, Ga., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Methamphetamine. Georgia State Patrol troopers found Jones in possession of a revolver during a traffic stop, and in possession of cocaine and methamphetamine during a subsequent search.
• Othnell Christian Ferguson, 27, of Pembroke, Ga., was sentenced to 70 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Statesboro police officers determined Ferguson possessed a pistol during a foot chase following a February 2023 traffic stop.
• Kenyatta Dunn Nero, 40, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County deputies found a pistol in Nero’s vehicle during a July 2023 traffic stop. Nero has multiple previous criminal convictions on state charges that include illegal gun possession.
• Jamal Brashad Hawkins, 22, of Swainsboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Emanuel County deputies found Hawkins in possession of a pistol after a traffic stop in June 2023.
• Darnell Harold Miller, 25, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police in January found Miller in possession of a pistol while investigating a domestic disturbance.
• Nathan Sparks, 27, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police found a pistol in Sparks’ waistband during a traffic stop. 
• Anthony McQuarters, 31, of Hardeeville, S.C., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A Georgia State Patrol trooper arrested McQuarters on state charges following a chase on I-16 by multiple law enforcement agencies through Laurens, Treutlen, Emanuel, and Candler counties, and found pistols in his possession.
• Christopher Jeramy Blair, 44, of Pembroke, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. Acting on a tip, investigators from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives seized 11 handguns, rifles, and shotguns during a search of Blair’s residence.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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/atfw-form-4473

SAVANNAH, GA:  Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg reminds residents to be wary of disaster-related fraud in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s destructive path.

“Like moths to a flame, scam artists and profit-chasing individuals too often prey on vulnerable victims of natural disasters, such as those devastated by Hurricane Helene,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Vigilance is the first defense against fraudsters who would compound the misery of a natural disaster by stealing from those in desperate need of assistance in recovery, and our office stands ready to assist in holding accountable individuals who would take advantage of disaster victims.”

President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for Georgia, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene. Of the 43 counties in the Southern District of Georgia, 30 are included in the disaster declaration.

Established in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) is a partnership of the U.S. Department of Justice and law enforcement and regulatory agencies that coordinates detection, prevention, investigation, and prosecution of fraud related to natural and man-made disasters, and to advocate for victims of fraud.

Of more than 200,000 disaster fraud complaints submitted to the NCDF, here are some examples of common complaints:

• Fake charities soliciting donations either using the names of well-known charities or appearing to be related to the disaster.
• Scammers impersonating government officials, offering disaster relief in exchange for personal information or money.
• Individuals posing as insurance provider representatives to collect payments or personal information.
• Fraudsters promising expedient home repairs requiring upfront or partial payment.
• Price-gouging for goods and services needed by victims of disaster.

Take these measures to protect yourself from disaster fraud:

• Donate only to well-known charities after verifying them through trusted sources.
• Do not respond to unsolicited requests for donations via email, phone, or text, and do not click on links in unsolicited messages.
• Do not assume that online or social media charity solicitations are legitimate.
• Use credit cards or checks for donations. Don’t send cash, or use wire transfers or mobile payment apps.
• Remember that government agencies and legitimate organizations will never ask for money or personal information via phone or email.
• Beware of contractors who knock on your door or make unsolicited contact, and/or make promises that sound too good to be true.
• Cautiously rely on recommendations from family and friends.
• Do not be forced into making repair decisions by a high-pressure contractor.

Protect yourself and your neighbors. To report disaster-related fraud, contact the NCDF at (866) 720-5721 or online at www.justice.gov/DisasterComplaintForm.

SAVANNAH, GA:  Two Chatham County men await sentencing after pleading guilty to charges stemming from an armed carjacking in Savannah, while investigators are seeking the third defendant in the case.

Brandon McCall Williams, a/k/a “Doughboy,” 33, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine and Heroin; Carjacking Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury; and Conspiracy to Use a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence and a Drug Trafficking Crime, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

At the start of his trial on Sept. 23, Robert Moss, a/k/a “Fat Boy,” 33, of Savannah, agreed to plead guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and also awaits sentencing. Williams faces up to 65 years in prison, while Moss faces up to 10 years. There is no parole in the federal system.

“This violent crime exemplifies the dangers of drugs, guns and gangs to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Our law enforcement partners need the public’s assistance in apprehending the fugitive in this case, and delivering justice for the wounded victim.”

As described in court documents and testimony, a drug dealer – identified as M.M. – met the defendants in the parking lot of a Savannah apartment complex in October 2021 to sell them large amounts methamphetamine and heroin. Instead, the three men robbed M.M. at gunpoint, taking his bag containing drugs, cash and a firearm, and then shot M.M. in the buttocks when he escaped.

The defendants then stole M.M.’s vehicle and fled, leaving behind a pickup that had been rented by Williams. Port Wentworth police recovered Williams’ personally owned car with the bag and drugs in it after a brief car chase from which Williams escaped. Williams and Moss later were located and taken into custody.

Also indicted in the case was Graylyn Simmons, a/k/a “Shake,” a/k/a “Crane,” 28, of Savannah. Anyone with information on Simmons is asked to contact the FBI at 800-Call FBI (800-225-5324).

The indictment naming Simmons includes only charges. He is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will schedule sentencing for Williams and Moss upon completion of presentence investigations by U.S. Probation Services.

“Williams and Moss participated in a violent act to profit off illegal drugs,” said FBI Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Ozden. “We work alongside our federal, state, and local partners to work hand in hand to disrupt and ultimately triumph over the shadow of drug trafficking, making our communities safer places to live.”

“This investigation showcases the unwavering commitment of law enforcement to rid our streets of violent offenders,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. “Through close collaboration and relentless pursuit, we will continue to dismantle criminal networks and protect the citizens of Savannah from those who seek to bring chaos and violence.”

This case is being investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Savannah Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley R. Thompson and Frank M. Pennington II.

The Justice Department announced today its findings that conditions of confinement in Georgia’s prisons violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution.

“Our findings report lays bare the horrific and inhumane conditions that people are confined to inside Georgia’s state prison system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our statewide investigation exposes long-standing, systemic violations stemming from complete indifference and disregard to the safety and security of people Georgia holds in its prisons. People are assaulted stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed. Inmates are maimed and tortured, relegated to an existence of fear, filth and not so benign neglect. These dangerous conditions not only harm the people Georgia incarcerates — it places prison employees and the broader community at risk. The Justice Department is committed to using its authority to bring about humane conditions of confinement that are consistent with contemporary standards of decency and respect for basic human dignity.”

The department’s 93-page report details its findings from a thorough investigation of Georgia’s state-operated and private correctional facilities. Georgia has the fourth-highest state prison population in the country, with approximately 50,000 people incarcerated. The report concludes that:

• The State of Georgia engages in a pattern or practice of violating incarcerated persons’ constitutional rights by failing to protect individuals housed in medium- and close-security facilities from widespread physical violence and subjecting incarcerated persons to unreasonable risk of harm from sexual abuse across its facilities. Specifically, Georgia fails to protect incarcerated persons, including persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI), from harm caused by sexual violence or abuse.
• Critical understaffing and systemic deficiencies in physical plant, housing and classification, contraband control, incident reporting, and investigations all contribute to the widespread violence.
• Georgia allows gangs to exert improper influence on prison life, including controlling entire housing units and operating unlawful and dangerous schemes in and from the prisons, harming both incarcerated people and the public.

“Individuals incarcerated by the Georgia Department of Corrections should not be subjected to life threatening violence and other forms of severe deprivation while serving their prison terms,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “Our constitution requires humane conditions in prisons, that, at a minimum, ensure that people in custody are safe. The findings of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act investigation of the Georgia Department of Corrections reveal grave and diffuse failures to safeguard the men and women housed in its facilities, including disturbing and increasing frequencies of deaths among incarcerated people. We expect the State of Georgia to share our sense of urgency about the seriousness of the violations described in this report and to work cooperatively with the Justice Department, our office and our U.S. Attorney partners in the Middle and Southern Districts to remedy these systemic deficiencies in Georgia prisons.”

“We hope these findings are a wake-up call. Incarcerated people and staff in the Georgia Department of Corrections face unacceptable, systemic risks, and the impact affects all of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter Leary for the Middle District of Georgia. “We hope to work collaboratively with the State of Georgia to improve these deadly conditions; indeed, the Constitution requires it.”

“The safety and security of Georgia’s prisons are inescapably linked to the overall safety and security of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “The long-term dysfunction in the management of the prison system has led to the proliferation of criminal networks inside those facilities that endanger private citizens, staff and incarcerated people and directly lead to unacceptable and avoidable violence and abuse against incarcerated people. We are committed to working with the Georgia Department of Corrections to create a safer environment inside and outside Georgia’s prisons.”

The findings announced today are the result of the Justice Department’s civil investigation and are separate from any criminal cases brought by the Justice Department.

The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia conducted the investigation.

AUGUSTA, GA:  A Richmond County man was sentenced to federal prison for threatening to blow up Augusta’s Social Security office.

Keyon Tishaye Dickens, 39, of Augusta, was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to Using a Telephone to Make a Threat to Injure a Person or Damage a Building by Explosives, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Dickens to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Threats of violence against workers and customers of any facility are completely unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend our law enforcement partners for ensuring the safety of those in the Social Security office and assisting in holding Keyon Dickens accountable for his actions.”

As described in court documents and testimony, Dickens received a notice in September 2023 that he had been receiving overpayments to his Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and that the Social Security Administration intended to recoup the funds from future SSI checks. In response, Dickens called the Social Security Administration office in Augusta and said, “I’m going to shoot the office up and I’m going to blow it up. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do.”

Carrying a backpack, Dickens later visited the Social Security office and showed the security guard a note that read “I have a bomb.” The officer notified the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and the building was locked down and evacuated. No bomb was found, and Richmond County deputies took Dickens into custody.

“Americans should not have to fear for their lives simply for doing their jobs or going about their daily errands,” said Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Matthew Ploskunak of FBI Atlanta’s Augusta Resident Agency. “Thanks to the quick response by our local law enforcement partners, this case was investigated thoroughly and quickly brought to a successful conclusion.”

“This case underscores our unwavering commitment to public safety and the serious consequences of making threats of violence,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “The actions taken by our local law enforcement not only prevented potential harm but also reaffirmed our collective responsibility to protect our communities from such reckless behavior.”

“Keyon Dickens’ malicious actions are criminal and intolerable. This sentence demonstrates that threats to Social Security employees and offices are felonious and will not be ignored. We will continue to aggressively respond to threats, investigate the perpetrators and seek prosecution,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Acting SSA Inspector General. “I am thankful that there was no harm to SSA employees. I appreciate the immediate response from the security officers in the local SSA office, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in investigating this matter and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case.” 

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.

SAVANNAH, GA: Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges. 

“As illegally possessed firearms proliferate in our community, our office continues to hold accountable those who threaten the safety of our neighborhoods” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We commend the efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in investigating these criminal activities.”  

The cases are prosecuted 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) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally possess guns.

Those indicted in September include:

• Daniel Blount Cates, 50, of Waynesboro, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and two counts of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, referring to a machine gun and a firearm equipped with a silencer. Cates, who was sentenced in federal court to probation on an illegal gambling charge in 2021, was sentenced in June to 15 months in prison after U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall ruled that Cates had violated the terms of his probation by possessing firearms.
• Ray Charles Canady III, 51, of Augusta, charged with Interference with Commerce by Robbery; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;  
• Willie James Norton, 36, of Baxley, 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;
• Phillip Moore, 29, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; 
• Scottie Eugene Bryant, 48, of Grovetown, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Jack Anthony Bragg, 44, of Statesboro, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and,
• Jacorey D. Lockett, 30, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

Also previously indicted:

• Daniel Jamal Robertson, 33, of Brooklet, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, referring to an isomer of Ephylone, also known as bath salts; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;

All indicted defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendants recently adjudicated on federal firearms charges include:

• Arthur Eugene Cannon, 41, of Savannah, was sentenced to 120 months in prison and fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Savannah Chatham Counter Narcotics Team investigators determined that Cannon illegally possessed a stolen pistol discovered during a drug trafficking investigation. A co-defendant, Thomas Allen Gordon, 56, of Savannah, was sentenced to 70 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute.   
• Daquan Minor, 32, of Savannah, was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Savannah police officers found a stolen pistol in Minor’s vehicle during a traffic stop. Minor previously was convicted of felony offenses including illegal gun possession and drug trafficking.  
• Marqus Jamal Flanders, 38, of Brunswick, sentenced to 112 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In February 2023, Glynn County police found a pistol in Flanders’ possession after an attempted traffic stop led to a motorcycle and foot chase. Flanders was on probation on state felony charges at the time of his arrest.
• Daveon Daniels, 25, of Grovetown, Ga., was sentenced to 46 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun. Columbia County sheriff’s deputies were investigating a homicide when they determined that Daniels possessed a firearm, equipped with a “Glock switch” to convert it to fully automatic fire. 
• Zanuck Lorenzo Berry, 43, of Martinez, Ga., was sentenced to 87 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Drug Enforcement Administration agents searched Berry’s home in January 2023 as part of a drug trafficking investigation and found an assault-style rifle, two semiautomatic “ghost gun” pistols, a third handgun, and a shotgun.
• Jamario D. Owens, 24, of Savannah, was sentenced to 49 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers found Owens in possession of a handgun while investigating a reported disturbance.
• Phillip Smith, 49, of Augusta, was sentenced to 156 months in prison and fined $2,500, and Brian Hilliard, 40, of Augusta, was sentenced to 108 months in prison and fined $1,500, after both pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, while Glen Taylor, 45, of Beech Island, S.C., was sentenced to 37 months in prison and fined $1,500 and Joshua Wasden, 36, of Thomson, Ga., was sentenced to 120 months in prison and fined $2,000 after both pled guilty to the conspiracy charge. Five co-defendants, including Edward Jake Walters, 29, of Grovetown; Dustin Bayles, 36, of Thomson, Ga.; Linda Campbell, 53, of Augusta; Gary Holcomb, 59, of Martinez; and Destiny Poole, 23, of Grovetown, await sentencing after pleading guilty to the drug conspiracy charge. All were charged in USA v. Walters et al., an indictment alleging an Augusta-area drug trafficking conspiracy. A tenth defendant, Donnie Skillman, 46, of Augusta, awaits further proceedings and is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

• Unique Haynes, 26, of Jacksonville, Fla., was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine and Fentanyl, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A co-defendant, Eric Massey, 29, also of Jacksonville, was sentenced to 48 months in prison after pleading guilty to Illegal Use of a Communication Facility. Haynes and Massey were charged in Augusta following an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Georgia State Patrol.
• Benjamin Priester, 56, of Pooler, Ga., was sentenced to 92 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Savannah police officers found a pistol in Priester’s possession during a traffic stop and later determined Priester knew the gun had been stolen.

• Robert Antonio Green, 26, of Savannah, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. A probation officer from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision found a handgun in Green’s possession during a meeting with Green.
• Michael Jerome Germany, 50, of Grovetown, Ga., was sentenced to 37 months in prison and fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Grovetown police officers found a pistol in Germany’s vehicle during a traffic stop.
• Jarrett Lamar Knight, 45, of Savannah, was sentenced 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. As described in the plea agreement, Knight was a convicted felon when he sold a shotgun to a confidential informant during an ATF investigation.
• Thomas J. Fazio II, 41, of Grovetown, Ga, was sentenced to five years’ probation and fined $2,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. In May 2023, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection intercepted suspected firearms silencers being shipped to Fazio, a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant. During a search of Fazio’s residence, investigators found an unregistered firearm silencer.  
• David Kreiss, 49, of Twin City, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. Twin City police found Kreiss in possession of a rifle and four shotguns while investigating a domestic disturbance. 

• Andrey Denorris Blockett, 37, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Georgia State Patrol troopers found Blockett in possession of a pistol with a loaded high-capacity magazine after Blockett fled on an off-road vehicle from a vehicle license check.
• Lial Stephens, 28, of Pooler, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to two counts of Interference with Commerce by Robbery. Stephens pointed a pistol at a Garden City, Ga., convenience store clerk during robberies in September and November 2023.
• Richard Bruce Salyer Jr., 49, of Forsyth, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Chatham County police officers found a pistol in Salyer’s waistband while investigating a report of a stolen vehicle in November 2023. Salyer has two prior convictions for illegally possessing firearms, and at the time of his arrest was an escapee from the Jefferson County, Ga., Correctional Institute. 
• Anthony Orlando Jones, 34, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County deputies and the U.S. Marshals found Jones in possession of a semiautomatic pistol in November 2023 while serving him with an arrest warrant on a state felony charge.
• Barry Christopher Carpenter, 43, of Gainesville, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Carpenter was arrested on state charges in Columbia County during a burglary investigation.
• Eddie Lee Tolbert, 39, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Grovetown police found a pistol in Tolbert’s possession during a traffic stop.
• Deleon Alexander Jackson, 23, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County deputies found Jackson in possession of a rifle while investigating a reported disturbance at an Augusta store.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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/atfw-form-4473

AUGUSTA, Ga.: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has approved an initial set of 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022. 

The Justice Department – through its United States Attorney’s offices (USAOs) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Field Divisions – will partner with each designated jurisdiction to develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited under 18 U.S. Code Section 922(g) from owning firearms. 

“We work in close collaboration with our law enforcement partners and community stakeholders to prevent violence, particularly gun violence and domestic violence,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “A key part of this effort includes keeping firearms out of the hands of those who are legally prohibited from possessing them, including those with records of domestic abuse.”

Communities have been designated in close coordination with community stakeholders. The Justice Department used data to identify communities that could benefit from increased focus on intimate partner violence resources and where the local jurisdiction is committed to partnering with the Department to increase the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders under 18 U.S.C. 922(g). The designation represents the partnership and coordination between the department and the local jurisdiction to ensure federal resources are being leveraged effectively to address intimate partner firearm violence.

Augusta has been designated as a community partner in the Southern District of Georgia.

The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions to be designated as USAOs continue coordination with their local stakeholders.  All USAOs, with or without specific community designations under Section 1103, will continue to combat intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders as part of their Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and in support of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.  

Complete List of Jurisdictions as of Sept. 13, 2024:

• Montgomery County, Alabama

• Jefferson County, Alabama

• Little Rock, Arkansas

• Washington County, Arkansas

• Fresno, California

• San Diego, California

• Hartford, Connecticut

• Ward 7, District of Columbia

• Jacksonville, Florida

• Alachua County, Florida

• Metro Miami-Dade County, Florida

• Macon-Bibb County, Georgia

• DeKalb County, Georgia

• Augusta, Georgia

• City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii

• Ada County, Idaho

• Danville, Illinois

• Rockford, Illinois

• Madison County, Illinois

• Gary, Indiana

• Indianapolis, Indiana

• Des Moines, Iowa

• Linn County, Iowa

• Garden City, Kansas

• Fayette County, Kentucky

• Louisville, Kentucky

• Orleans Parish, Louisiana

• Rapides Parish, Louisiana

• Western Maine Region: Franklin, Oxford, and Androscoggin Counties, Maine

• Baltimore City, Maryland

• Boston, Massachusetts

• Saginaw, Michigan

• Lansing, Michigan

• Greenville, Mississippi

• Jackson, Mississippi

• Cape Girardeau County, Missouri

• Greene County, Missouri

• Gallatin County and Bozeman, Montana

• Northeast Omaha, Nebraska

• Las Vegas, Nevada

• Strafford County, New Hampshire

• Bernalillo County, New Mexico

• Borough of Brooklyn, New York

• Onondaga County, New York

• Borough and County of the Bronx, New York

• Monroe County, New York

• Fayetteville and Cumberland County, North Carolina

• Forsyth County, North Carolina

• Asheville (including Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), North Carolina

• Grand Forks, North Dakota

• Toledo, Ohio

• Muskogee County, Oklahoma

• Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma

• Portland, Oregon

• Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

• Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

• Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

• San Juan, Puerto Rico

• Pawtucket, Rhode Island
• Greenville County, South Carol

• Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota

• City of Chattanooga, Tennessee

• Memphis/Shelby County, Tennessee

• Gregg County, Texas

• Amarillo, Texas

• Houston, Texas

• San Antonio, Texas

• Salt Lake County, Utah

• South Hampton Roads (Chesapeake/Norfolk/Portsmouth/Virginia Beach), Virginia

• Oswald Harris Court Housing Community, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

• Chittenden County, Vermont

• Spokane County, Washington

• King County, Washington

• Wheeling Area (Ohio/Brooke/Hancock Counties), West Virginia

• Kanawha County, West Virginia

• Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• Dane County, Wisconsin

• Fremont County, Wyoming

BRUNSWICK, GA:  A Glynn County man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to distributing images of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Thomas Webster, 62, of St. Simons Island, Ga., was sentenced to 76 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Webster to pay financial penalties and restitution of $80,300, to register as a sex offender, and serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Images of child sexual abuse are lasting reminders of the abuse suffered by each victim, and those who distribute these images perpetuate the victimization,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Thanks to the diligence of our law enforcement partners, Thomas Webster will no longer share these harmful images and is being held accountable for his crimes.”

As described in court documents and testimony, in February 2021, a CyberTip reporting the distribution of child sexual abuse material was shared with the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The information identified images that were shared from a Glynn County address through Twitter, now known as X.

The Glynn County Police Department and the FBI determined Webster operated the account that shared the child sexual abuse images, and during a search of his St. Simons residence investigators seized multiple electronic devices storing more than 1,000 images of child pornography. Webster was arrested shortly after his indictment on federal charges in October 2023, and pled guilty to one count of Distribution of Child Pornography in April.

“Webster will spend the next six years of his life in prison, which should send a strong message to anyone who even contemplates distributing images of innocent children,” said Keri Farley,  Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Along with our state and local law enforcement partners, the FBI is committed to working collectively to prosecute child predators.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, the GBI, and the Glynn County Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney L. Alexander Hamner.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.

BRUNSWICK, GA:  An Appling County man has been sentenced to more than 23 years in federal prison for attempting to coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Todd Eric Sisk, 50, of Baxley, Ga., was sentenced to 280 months in prison after pleading guilty to Attempted Production of Child Pornography, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Sisk to pay $10,600 in restitution and assessments, to register as a sex offender, and to serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Predators regularly use the internet to prey on our most vulnerable citizens, and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to identify and eliminate these threats,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We are committed to keeping our children safe from those who would exploit them.”

During a November 2021 undercover online operation, investigators from the Walton County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office identified Sisk as using apps to communicate with minors. The investigators contacted Homeland Security Investigations in Savannah for assistance.

As described in the plea agreement, investigators determined that Sisk paid a user on Twitter, whom he believed to be 13 years old, to produce a video of herself engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also attempted to persuade at least four other self-identified minors to produce sexually explicit images.

“The defendant’s attempts to sexually exploit minors was thankfully unsuccessful and he is being held accountable for this predatory behavior,” said Steven N. Schrank, acting special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta that covers Georgia and Alabama. “Today’s sentencing is the result of the dedicated work of HSI and its law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to protect children from exploitation.”

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Walton County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Baxley Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. Blanchard.

BRUNSWICK, GA:  The final defendant in a massive drug trafficking organization has been convicted on all charges after a two-day jury trial.

Blake K. Screen, 36, of Brunswick, was found guilty on charges of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Screen faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“As the final defendant awaiting adjudication in this conspiracy, Blake Screen’s conviction represents a milestone in this investigation,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “The investigators and prosecutors performed outstanding work in removing this drug trafficking operation from our community and holding the conspirators accountable.”

Screen was on of 76 defendants indicted in USA v. Alvarez et al., dubbed Operation Ghost Busted because of the drug trafficking conspiracy’s ties to the Ghost Face Gangsters and other criminal street gangs. Unsealed in January 2023, the indictment resulted from an investigation that identified a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed large amounts of high-grade methamphetamine, along with fentanyl, heroin, and alprazolam in the greater Glynn County area.

For more than two years, investigators from the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, the Glynn County Police Department, the Brunswick Police Department, the Glynn County Sheriff's Office, and the Camden County Sheriff's Office collaborated with multiple federal, state, and local agencies to identify the sprawling drug trafficking network. The conspiracy operated inside and outside Georgia prisons, coordinated by members of the Ghost Face Gangsters working with affiliates of other gangs including the Aryan Brotherhood, Bloods, and Gangster Disciples.

During the trial before U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, jurors learned that Screen conspired by text and Facebook messages with other traffickers in the organization – many of whom were inmates in Georgia state prisons – to transport and sell large quantities of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine and fentanyl. Investigators found more than 65 doses of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, in Screen’s possession when he was taken into custody.

Of the other 75 original defendants in Operation Ghost Busted, 70 have been sentenced to prison terms of as much as life in prison after pleading guilty, and four are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty. One defendant died while awaiting trial. Judge Wood will schedule sentencing for Screen upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.  

Operation Ghost Busted, the largest drug trafficking prosecution in the history of the Southern District of Georgia, was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Agencies involved in the investigation include the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Georgia Department of Corrections; the Georgia Department of Community Supervision; the Glynn County Police Department; the Brunswick Police Department; the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office; and sheriff’s offices from Pierce, Camden, Wayne, Treutlen, McIntosh, Toombs, Telfair, Dodge, and Ware counties. The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland, L. Alexander Hamner, and Criminal Division Deputy Chief E. Greg Gilluly Jr. 

SAVANNAH, GA:  A physician who operates weight-loss clinics in the Savannah area has agreed to pay civil penalties and to accept increased oversight to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act.

Dr. Donald Lyle Gates, who operates three Savannah-area Scale Solutions clinics, reached a settlement with the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, that requires Gates to pay a civil penalty of $100,000. An agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration also allows Dr. Gates to maintain DEA registrations to dispense controlled substances while abiding by specific conditions that include a two-year term of increased oversight by DEA.

“Those with the authority to dispense potentially addictive drugs are expected to balance that power with the responsibility to provide adequate and trustworthy recordkeeping,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Recordkeeping requirements serve a critical role to ensure that controlled substances are not diverted for illegal purposes.”

Dr. Gates operates Georgia weight-loss clinics called Scale Solutions in Savannah, Pooler, and Hinesville, and previously operated a clinic in Bluffton, S.C. The United States, through the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, alleged that Gates failed to keep and maintain records for the prescription weight-loss drugs phentermine and phendimetrazine, and dispensed those drugs in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. 

DEA Diversion Investigators conducted on-site inspections of Dr. Gates’ offices and determined, among other findings, that the offices did not have complete and accurate records of controlled substances for which Dr. Gates was responsible, including inventories, documents memorializing his receipt of controlled substances, their distribution, and their dispensation. Investigators alleged that on more than one occasion, Dr. Gates failed to keep controlled substances at the locations registered with DEA and instead transferred those controlled substances to his home.

The Controlled Substances Act creates a closed system that tracks controlled substances from manufacture through distributor, to the ultimate end-user, allowing the DEA to monitor the flow of controlled substances in the United States at every juncture.  When a dispensing practitioner fails to maintain complete and accurate records, the system is at risk for illegal diversion into the community.

The civil settlement and the Memorandum of Agreement are neither an admission of liability by Dr. Gates, nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well-founded.

“Diverted and misused prescription medications pose a grave threat to public health,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Therefore, it’s expected and required that physicians and other trusted medical providers maintain meticulous records of these controlled substances to prevent prescription drug abuse.”

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the civil settlement was negotiated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradford C. Patrick.

BRUNSWICK, GA:  A former supervisor in the Glynn County Department of Public Works has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to repay money he illegally gained from fraudulent charges to government purchasing cards.

William Harold Richards, 51, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to Wire Fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Richards to pay $422,168 in restitution to the Glynn County government, and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Taxpayers rightly expect employees of their government agencies to handle public money responsibly,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “William Richards did the opposite by defrauding taxpayers and enriching himself at their expense, and he is being held accountable for his crime.”

As described in court documents and testimony, Richards was hired at the Glynn County Department of Public Works in 2010, progressing to a supervisory role that provided him with access to employee purchasing cards and the county’s billing system. In September 2023, the Glynn County Police Department and the FBI initiated an investigation after another Public Works employee noticed suspicious charges on his county purchasing card.

Investigators determined that Richards, who was responsible for coding and reconciling purchases made with the department’s purchasing cards, had for more than two years made fraudulent purchases with his own county-issued card and with those of other employees, issuing payments to a fictitious company that he created and then transferring the funds to his own bank account.

Richards was arrested on state charges and later indicted in federal court. As part of his guilty plea to the federal charge, Richards acknowledged that he “used the proceeds of this fraudulent scheme to make numerous personal purchases, including the purchase of lottery tickets.”

“This type of fraud increases costs for all taxpayers in this country and erodes public trust in government,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is committed to holding corrupt individuals, like Richards, accountable for their greed.”

The case was investigated by the Glynn County Police Department and the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew A. Josephson.

SAVANNAH, GA:  The U.S. Department of Justice has announced more than $6 million in Fiscal Year 2024 grants awarded to agencies and entities to support law enforcement and public safety initiatives benefiting the Southern District of Georgia.

These federal grants are awarded by congressional designation from the Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance through Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending Provisions, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

“Whether assisting local agencies in providing mental health or legal services or in purchasing essential equipment for first responders, these grants will help local communities across the Southern District to protect their citizens and improve outcomes for the vulnerable,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg.

Agencies receiving the 2024 Community Project Funding include:

• Augusta-Richmond County Government: $1,007,000.
  • An award for $690,000 will enable the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to implement the Law Enforcement Body-Warn Camera Technology Upgrades Program, providing more advanced body-worn cameras for personnel to replace cameras in use since the office first implemented the program in 2015.
  • A second award for $317,000 will assist the sheriff’s office in implementing a Mental Health Response Team, creating a “co-responder effort” to provide services to individuals in active mental health crises or needing follow-up care.
• Glynn County: $3.7 million.

This award will provide multi-jurisdictional funding in Glynn County to replace radio communications systems used by agencies including the Glynn County Police Department, the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, GB911, Brunswick Police Department, and Glynn County Emergency Management Agency, serving the mainland and barrier island communities of Glynn County.

• Community Service Board of Middle Georgia in Dublin, Ga.: $1.356 million.

This award will provide funding for implementation of a Behavioral Health and Overdose Reduction Initiative for 16 underserved and largely rural Georgia counties, including Bleckley, Burke, Dodge, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Pulaski, Screven, Telfair, Treutlen, Wheeler, and Wilcox counties.

• The Georgia Justice Project in Atlanta: $475,000.

This grant includes funding for a Second Chance Desk for residents in Richmond and Burke counties. The Second Chance Desk will provide a projected 120-150 individuals with consultation and services to clear criminal histories that are no longer relevant, allowing low- to moderate-income residents to take advantage of Georgia’s expungement laws. The funding also will provide similar assistance in Cobb, Athens-Clarke, and Oconee counties.

Funding from the Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending Provisions, designated by Congress with funding through the Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance, seeks to support projects designated for funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, to prevent or combat juvenile delinquency, and to assist victims of crime (other than compensation).

More information on the implementation of these grants is available from the individual recipient agencies, and from the U.S. Department of Justice grants information page at justice.gov/grants.

AUGUSTA, GA:  Six Augusta-area defendants have been sentenced to substantial federal prison terms after pleading guilty to participation in a methamphetamine trafficking operation.

James Andrew McPherson, 30, of Hephzibah, Ga., the lead defendant, was sentenced to 188 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered McPherson to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

“We applaud the work of our law enforcement partners in identifying and disrupting this meth-trafficking conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Our communities are safer with these illegal drug distributors off the streets.”

As described in court documents and proceedings, investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration worked with local law enforcement agencies to identify McPherson as the leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy that transported large quantities of high-purity methamphetamine for distribution in Richmond, Columbia, and Burke counties.

McPherson transported the methamphetamine from an Atlanta supplier, or used couriers – including his mother – to bring in the drugs, which he then broke down into smaller quantities for the others to sell.

Other defendants sentenced in the case are:

• Brandon Wayne Johnson, 43, of Hephzibah, Ga., sentenced to 87 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
• Marcus Smith, a/k/a “Smoke,” 32, of Augusta, sentenced to 151 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of Methamphetamine.
• Leslie Helinski, 54, of Augusta, the mother of James McPherson, sentenced to 130 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
• Tony Watson, 49, of Conover, N.C., sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
• Charity Porter, 25, of Augusta, sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of Methamphetamine.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Driven by greed, these drug traffickers’ activities posed a significant threat to the Augusta area and beyond,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The success of this investigation is proof that those responsible for destroying our communities with methamphetamine will be held accountable.”

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Georgia State Patrol, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and Burke County Sheriff’s Office, and the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Z. Spitulnik.

SAVANNAH, GA:  A Liberty County woman was sentenced to federal prison after her conviction at trial for attacking medical professionals at Fort Stewart.

Christie F. Oxendine, 35, of Hinesville, Ga., was sentenced to 16 months in prison after being found guilty of Obstructing and Hindering Emergency Professionals, along with misdemeanor counts of simple battery and disorderly conduct, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Oxendine to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“While family members and patients will occasionally disagree on standards of care in medical facilities, it is inexcusable to physically attack and disrupt the work of health care professionals,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This sentence of incarceration makes clear that violent and abusive behavior will not be tolerated.”

As described at trial, Oxendine brought her minor child to the Winn Army Community Hospital at Fort Stewart for treatment. Despite not having any medical training, Oxendine demanded that medical staff perform specific procedures during that treatment even though those procedures were not medically recommended, not part of the standard of care, and potentially more dangerous for her child. Oxendine became verbally and physically abusive when staff members attempted to continue treatment.

Oxendine unhooked her minor child from medical equipment and began forcibly removing her from the hospital, and as staff members attempted to prevent Oxendine’s exit she shoved one pregnant nurse and pushed another into a wall while yelling at them and using profane language. Military police officers later removed the child from Oxendine’s vehicle for continued treatment, and Oxendine was banned from the facility.

Oxendine was convicted after a two-day trial in April on all counts. She is ordered to report for incarceration to an assigned Bureau of Prisons facility by Sept. 23. 

The case was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigations Division and Military Police, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew A. Josephson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Z. Spitulnik.

SAVANNAH, GA:  A Chatham County man faces a possible five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to making a bomb threat.  

Mohammed Arafat Afaneh, 28, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to False Information and Hoaxes, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The guilty plea subjects Afaneh to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison and substantial financial penalties, and up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Bomb threats terrorize innocent people and needlessly burden first responders with identifying and investigating the reported danger,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Such threats exacerbate tensions in a world already on edge; this defendant and any other person considering a similar course of conduct will face serious consequences for their actions.”

As described in court documents and testimony, on Nov. 17, 2023, Afaneh wrote and published a social media post on Facebook and Instagram stating, “They said there is a BOMB inside the WTOC Center on Chatham Parkway that will detonate at 3 p.m. It’s in one of the employees (sic) trunks. #Helpppppp!!!!! My friends are housed in the jail next door.”

Afaneh’s hoax resulted in evacuations of the office park – which houses the federal courthouse and a television station – and caused emergency responses from multiple agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, the Savannah Police Department, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators determined the threat was a hoax.

Afaneh was later located and arrested on unrelated state charges in Louisville, Kentucky, and remanded to the custody of U.S. Marshals.

“We will not normalize violent threats in America, whether targeting businesses, federal courthouses, or average citizens,” said FBI Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Ozden. “The FBI will pursue to the fullest extent of the law anyone who threatens violence.” 

The case was investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and L. Alexander Hamner.

STATESBORO, GA:  A Tattnall County man awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to operating a business that tampered with government-mandated emissions controls on commercial logging equipment.

Justin Taylor, 30, of Collins, Ga., pled guilty in U.S. District Court to an Information charging him with Conspiracy to Tamper with a Monitoring Device, and Fraud and False Statement, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The plea subjects Taylor to a possible statutory sentence of up to five years in prison and substantial financial penalties, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Emissions controls on heavy duty commercial equipment exist to help prevent excessive pollution from diesel engines, and evading those controls makes the air dirtier and less safe for everyone,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With this plea agreement, Justin Taylor will no longer profit at the expense of our communities.”

As described in court documents and testimony, Taylor was a mechanic working from a shop at his home and at remote job sites from as early as Jan. 1, 2018, through Jan. 20, 2021. Using a high-powered computer that supported diagnostic tools for heavy-duty logging equipment, Taylor performed emission-control “deletes” for more than 200 owners of diesel engines.

The changes Taylor made to the emission controls on those machines disabled the electronic monitoring devices and methods required under the Clean Air Act. Taylor routinely charged $2,000 for this service, earning more than $1.2 million during this period while reporting only $166,853 in income.

As a consequence of falsifying the information on his tax filings for the years 2018, 2019, and 2020, Taylor agrees in his plea to pay a total of $279,642 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, along with accrued interest.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule sentencing for Taylor upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.

“Justin Taylor has pled guilty to conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act and tampering with the emissions control equipment on hundreds of Tigercat brand heavy-duty diesel logging equipment throughout the Southeast,” said Acting Director Jennifer Lynn of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. “These crimes would increase air pollution which intensifies respiratory illnesses and environmental degradation. This guilty plea serves as a reminder that EPA and our partners are steadfast in our commitment to protect human health and the environment.”

“Justin Taylor assisted others in illegally evading EPA rules, receiving payments for it and failing to pay taxes on it,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge, Atlanta Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigations. “Justin Taylor enriched himself substantially and did not fully report his income or pay taxes. IRS Special Agents will continue to investigate and hold tax cheats accountable”

The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division and IRS Criminal Investigations, and prosecuted for the United States of America by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.

STATESBORO, GA:  Two newly unsealed federal indictments charge 23 defendants in widespread conspiracies that used drones to deliver methamphetamine, marijuana, and cell phones to Georgia state prisons.

The indictments, USA v. Hall, et al, and USA v. Harris, et al, were unsealed in U.S. District Court, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

The primary charge in each indictment, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine, carries a statutory penalty of 10 years to life in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and at least five years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“These indictments identify networks of individuals determined to introduce into prisons controlled substances and other contraband that compromise the safety and security of individuals who are held in those facilities and those employed there, and further endanger members of the outside public,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We’re grateful to the many federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose cooperative work unraveled these criminal operations.”

Investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces by agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Georgia Department of Corrections Criminal Investigations and Intelligence divisions, with assistance from multiple local law enforcement agencies, Operation Night Drop identified two networks of prison inmates and outside conspirators who used drones and other methods to deliver large quantities of drugs, cell phones and other contraband to Smith State Prison in Glennville, Ga., Telfair State Prison in McRae-Helena, Ga., and various other Georgia state prisons. The indictments allege the conspiracies began as early as 2019 and continued through July 2024.

In addition to the conspiracy charges, multiple defendants are charged with Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility, and the indictment provides detailed information revealing the use of cell phones to coordinate the sale of drugs and other contraband, direct activities of conspirators outside the prisons, and arrange deliveries of contraband to the prisons using drones. Text messages and Facebook Messenger exchanges between the defendants included aerial images of prisons, drug quantities and prices, and photos of drones, drugs, and cell phones, and of materials and equipment used for packaging contraband.

The indictments include notices that the government seeks the forfeiture of a total of 10 drones and 21 firearms seized during the investigation.

The 15 defendants charged with conspiracy in USA v. Hall, et al., are:

• Alan Hall, a/k/a “Strong,” a/k/a “Krook,” 44, currently incarcerated at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga;
• Deivon Waller, a/k/a “Hitman,” a/k/a “VP,” 33, currently incarcerated at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga.;
• Travious Bateman, a/k/a “Nut,” 39, of Covington, Ga. Bateman was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until March 7, 2022;
• Asa Ward, a/k/a “Foolay,” 28, currently incarcerated at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga.;
• Devonn Collins, a/k/a “Vonn,” 28, of Locust Grove, Ga. Collins was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until Feb. 12, 2019, and again from Sept. 5, 2019 to April 14, 2020;
• Torlandus Fuller, a/k/a “Mustafa$upa,” 33, of Lithonia, Ga. Fuller was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until Oct. 1, 2021;
• Martin Holmes, a/k/a “The Mayor,” 33, currently incarcerated at Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Ga.;
• Raymond Razo, a/k/a “Flako,” 36, currently incarcerated at Telfair State Prison in McRae-Helena, Ga.;
• Anisha Usher, 38, of Covington, Ga.;
• Marquez Chandler, 25, of Conyers, Ga. Chandler was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections from Nov. 9, 2021 to June 2, 2023;
• Chad Henry, 26, of Conyers, Ga.;
• Katrina Hampton, 28, of Killeen, Texas;
• Jamar Hill, 37, of Tucker, Ga. Hill was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until Feb. 3, 2020, and again from Dec. 15, 2020 to Jan. 6, 2022;
• Raane Onessimo, 29, of Powder Springs, Ga.; and,
• Donald Pate, 51, of Valdosta, Ga. Pate was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections from Jan. 3, 2019 to Jan. 6, 2021.

Seven of the eight defendants named in USA v. Harris, et al., are charged with conspiracy:

• Robert Harris, a/k/a “Messiah,” a/k/a “Dean,” 32, currently incarcerated at Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Ga.;
• Kelvin Rogers, a/k/a “Gangsta,” 38, currently incarcerated at Smith State Prison in Glennville, Ga.;
• Quinton Samples, a/k/a “JR,” 29, of Atlanta. Samples was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until March 10, 2022;
• Thomas Cothran, a/k/a “Shoota,” a/k/a “Tee,” 37, currently incarcerated at Ware State Prison in Waycross, Ga.;
• Quintaveous Samples, a/k/a “Peewee,” 26, of Jonesboro, Ga.;
• Quinesha Oliver, 27, of Jonesboro, Ga.; and,
• Tristahn Ash, a/k/a “Mohawk,” 27, currently incarcerated at the Metro Reentry Facility in Atlanta. Ash had been in custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections prior to the start of indictment, was released on Aug. 5, 2020, and reentered Department of Corrections custody on May 11, 2023.

The eighth defendant, David Williams, 35, of Atlanta, is charged along with Ash with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime.

Of the 23 defendants in the two indictments, six were not in Department of Corrections custody at any time during the conspiracies, and each of them is alleged to have been in contact with incarcerated co-defendants in furtherance of the conspiracy.

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

Operation Night Drop was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Georgia Department of Corrections Criminal Investigations Division, the Georgia Department of Corrections Intelligence Division, and local law enforcement agencies including the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Telfair County Sheriff’s Office, Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, the McRae-Helena Police Department, and the Eufala, Ala., Police Department, and   is being prosecuted for the United States of America by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy P. Dean and Patricia G. Rhodes.

BRUNSWICK, GA:  An Appling County man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to trafficking methamphetamine.

Christopher Eric Stone, 40, of Baxley, Ga., was sentenced to 68 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Stone to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Christopher Stone has a substantial history of arrests and convictions in Appling County, dating back more than two decades,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Significant time behind bars will provide the community with a measure of relief from his serial criminality.”

As described in court documents and testimony, deputies from the Appling County Sheriff’s Office found Stone in possession of methamphetamine during a traffic stop and then, while he was on bond on state charges, again found him in possession of methamphetamine during another traffic arrest.

Stone has a long history of criminal convictions for charges including drug trafficking and domestic violence, primarily in the Baxley area.

“As Sheriff of Appling County, I am very thankful to our federal partners at the DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Appling County Sheriff Mark Melton. “The sanctions we see through this partnership make a statement that we are not going to tolerate drug dealers and if they choose to do so here, there will be severe repercussions.” 

“The investigation and subsequent conviction of this criminal drug dealer demonstrates the DEA’s commitment to fight the drug traffickers who have no regard for the citizens of our community,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta Division.

The case was investigated by the Appling County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley R. Thompson.

STATESBORO, GA:  The former owner of a Toombs County fitness and tanning business has been indicted on federal charges involving the sexual exploitation of multiple children.

Walter Joey Drew, 41, of Kite, Ga., is charged in a newly unsealed federal indictment with six counts of Production of Child Pornography; three counts of Attempted Production of Child Pornography; six counts of Possession of Child Pornography; and one count each of Receipt of Child Pornography and Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

The charge of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor carries a statutory minimum sentence upon conviction of 10 years in federal prison, up to life imprisonment, while production or attempted production charges carry a statutory minimum sentence upon conviction of 15 years in federal prison, up to 30 years. Conviction on any of the charges carries substantial financial penalties and restitution, a requirement to register as a sex offender, and up to lifetime supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

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

Drew is the former owner of the now-closed Legacy Performance Center in Lyons, Ga., a gym with a tanning center. The indictment alleges that from February 2021 to June of 2023, Drew produced or attempted to produce sexually explicit visual depictions of at least eight minor victims at the gym and his residence, and had those images in his possession. The indictment also alleges that Drew attempted to entice one of the minor victims to engage in sexual activity to produce child pornography.

Drew faces related state charges in Toombs County, in the Southern District of Georgia, and from separate conduct at a previous residence in White County, in the Northern District of Georgia.

Investigators from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are seeking information from anyone who might be a victim or believes they have relevant information about Drew or his former business. Those with information are asked to call the HSI Tip Line at 866-347-2423.

The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Jason W. Blanchard.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.

BRUNSWICK, GA:  A Chatham County man was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to setting a fire in a restaurant’s outdoor trash container.

Joshua Daryl McGregor, 34, of Savannah, was sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to Arson, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered McGregor to pay restitution for property lost in the fire, and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Intentionally setting a fire in an effort to shut down or damage someone else’s property is inexcusable,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Joshua McGregor will have substantial time to ponder his post-prison employment options.”

As described in court documents and testimony, McGregor was an employee of the McDonald’s at 2701 Montgomery Ave. in Savannah, and in April 2023 was frustrated because the restaurant was very busy. He lit a piece of cardboard on fire and tossed it into the restaurant’s dumpster, which was full of cardboard and other flammable materials, and ensured the fire ignited before returning to the restaurant.

The fire became so intense that customers in the drive-through lane had to back out of the parking lot, and the restaurant was forced to briefly close while the Savannah Fire Department extinguished the blaze. McGregor, who filmed the fire with his cell phone, was identified on surveillance video as starting the fire. He was arrested by Savannah Police Department investigators, and in May pled guilty to arson in U.S. District Court.

“Arson is an extremely violent crime that not only destroys property but also places firefighters, first responders and the general public at great risk,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the ATF Atlanta Field Division. “The ATF, along with the Savannah Fire’s Arson Unit and our other law enforcement partners, are committed to ensuring that our communities are safe and that those who commit these dangerous acts are held accountable.”

“Savannah Fire’s Arson Unit greatly appreciates our continued ability to work with our local and federal partners to successfully prosecute arson that effects interstate commerce in our jurisdiction,” said Fred Anderson, chief investigator for the Savannah Fire Arson Unit. “These efforts made as a partnership have continued to help make our community safer and greatly reduce the act of arson throughout the city.” 

The case was investigated by the Savannah Fire Department, the Savannah Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese.

AUGUSTA, GA:  A Columbia County man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty in a scheme to sell expensive computer equipment to more than 40 customers who never received their orders.

Steven Drawdy, 40, of Grovetown, Ga., was sentenced to 32 months in prison after pleading guilty to Wire Fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Drawdy to pay restitution totaling more than $1.1 million and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Steven Drawdy ripped off dozens of people by preying on their desire to make money in the complex world of cryptocurrency,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Our law enforcement partners did exceptional work in identifying and shutting down this scheme.”

As described in court documents and testimony, from about August 2021 through April 2022, Drawdy participated in an online cryptocurrency discussion forum, and received more than $1.1 million from at least 42 victims who believed they were paying Drawdy to provide them with cryptocurrency “mining” computers.

Instead of delivering the computers, however, Drawdy would pocket the payments and eventually cease communicating with the customers. In some cases, he would offer a partial refund but would require the customer to pay a “processing fee” to receive the refund – and then would provide neither the refund nor the computer while discontinuing all communications with the customer.

“While using the latest in technology as his hook to attack victims, Drawdy’s actions were nothing more than old-fashioned fraud,” said FBI Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Ozden. “The FBI will continue to go after  criminals doing any type of fraud and seek to hold them accountable.” 

The case was investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer A. Stanley.