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
