Three people have been indicted in the Southern District of Georgia on felony charges including illegal firearms possession, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal charges including illegal possession of firearms.
The cases were investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally carry guns.
“In collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we are committed to the safety and security of our communities,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Removing guns from the hands of violent criminals and convicted felons makes all of us safer.”
In the past four years, more than 830 defendants have been federally prosecuted in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony. That charge carries a statutory penalty of up to 15 years in prison, and there is no parole in the federal system.
Those indicted during the June term of the U.S. District Court Grand Jury include:
- Ashley Chase Lee, 40, of Alma, Ga., charged in a superseding indictment with Escape from Custody; Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Convicted Felon; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Stolen Firearm; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
- Thomas Antonio Heard, 36, of Washington, Ga., charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and,
- Isaac Wilford Stewart, 23, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
Defendants recently adjudicated on federal firearms charges include:
- Ricky Maurice Johnson, 35, of Swainsboro, Ga., sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In June 2022, Johnson sped away from a Georgia State Patrol trooper attempting a traffic stop and was arrested after a brief foot chase. Savannah Police officers found a pistol Johnson dropped during the chase. Johnson has a prior felony conviction for illegal firearms possession.
- Robert Triche, 40, of Savannah, sentenced to 110 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In connection with a vehicle stop, Triche was determined to be in possession of a firearm. Triche, who previously was convicted on state drug trafficking charges, was on state parole at the time of his arrest.
- Titus Nathaniel Travis, 23, of Augusta, sentenced to 70 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Travis was on probation from a prior felony conviction in June 2022 when Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies, FBI agents and officers from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision searched Titus’ residence and found two pistols and a rifle. Travis is a member of a Bloods-affiliated criminal street gang.
- Antonio D’Avaris Bowens, 35, of Gray, Ga., sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, relating to a prior conviction for domestic violence. U.S. Customs and Border Protection found a pistol in Bowens’ vehicle as Bowens attempted to enter the Port of Savannah in May 2022.
- Kevon Quantae Davis, 23, of Augusta, sentenced to 46 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Davis in January 2022 as part of Operation Grace, a gang-focused investigation in coordination with the FBI. A member of the Bolt Alley Drive Boyz street gang, Davis dropped a pistol while running on foot from deputies.
- Amir Dontell Foreman, 27, of Augusta, sentenced to five years’ probation and fined $1,200 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Foreman in August 2022 after finding a pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop as part of Operation Grace.
- Christopher Washington, 53, of Savannah, sentenced to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Washington was charged after a Georgia Ports Authority officer found a firearm in Washington’s vehicle during a routine screening at a port facility in Port Wentworth, Ga. Washington has prior felony convictions for domestic violence, gun possession, and robbery.
- Kenneth Sallen, 43, of Savannah, sentenced to 56 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Sallen was arrested in July 2022 when Pooler police officers found a pistol in his waistband during a traffic stop. Sallen previously was convicted of armed robbery and was on probation for a firearms charge at the time of his arrest.
- Nicholas Robinson, 22, of Savannah, sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah Police officers arrested Robinson in March 2022 after finding two pistols in Robinson’s pockets while investigating a domestic disturbance at a motel.
- Calvin Lomont Powell Jr., 22, of Waynesboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Georgia State Patrol troopers found a pistol, drugs, and cash in Powell’s car during a June 2022 traffic stop.
- Javonte Deshawn Washington, 30, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Straw Purchase of a Firearm. In his plea, Washington agreed that in November 2022 he aided and abetted Nygeria Tasheema Brown, 32, of Savannah, in purchasing a semi-automatic pistol for Washington from a Chatham County gun store even though he knew that, as a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Garden City police officers found Washington in possession of the gun later that month when responding to a report of a man pointing a gun at motorists outside an apartment complex. Brown awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm.
- Tekayo Spencer, 39, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers arrested Spencer in June 2022 during an investigation into a man brandishing a firearm during a domestic dispute. Spencer has convictions for assault and gun possession.
- Melvin Jamarcus Lanier, 42, of Statesboro, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Statesboro police officers arrested Lanier in January 2021 during a traffic stop after finding a pistol in his vehicle.
- Lyondo Larell Ware, a/k/a “China,” 43, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Ware was on felony probation when Richmond County deputies found a loaded pistol while searching his residence in September 2021.
- Tavares L. Freeman Jr., 22, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Freeman was arrested in August 2022 after he was seen tossing a pistol from a window of his home as Richmond County sheriff’s deputies and agents from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision arrived to conduct a search of the residence. Freeman was on probation from a state felony conviction at the time.
- Todd Joseph Harbuck, 47, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Harbuck was arrested on an outstanding warrant after a domestic violence incident in Columbia County. Harbuck has a previous federal conviction for gun possession by a convicted felon, and multiple state-level convictions for violent felonies.
Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol.
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
