Federal prosecutions target illegal firearms possession, drugs | USAO-SDGA

SAVANNAH, GA: At least seven defendants will face separate charges by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Georgia, including illegal possession of firearms, while recent trials of others include guilty confessions and criminal convictions.

The cases are being investigated in collaboration with law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI targeting illegal gun owners.

“As we continue to fight violent crime with our law enforcement partners, it is imperative that we take guns out of the hands of those who cannot legally own it,” said David H. Estes, acting US attorney for the southern district of Georgia. “The typical excuse for felons carrying firearms is that they need them ‘for protection’, but the fact is, they endanger our community.”

In the past three years, nearly 700 people have been charged with illegal firearms offenses in the Southern District of Georgia – mostly for possession of a firearm after conviction of a previous crime. If convicted, those charges carry a legal sentence of up to 10 years in prison and there is no parole under the federal system.

Defendants named in federal charges after the U.S. District Court grand jury tenure in September 2021 include:

• Anthony Franzel Hamilton, 60, of Savannah, charged with conspiracy to disrupt trade through robbery; five counts of robbery affecting trade and one count of attempted robbery affecting trade; six cases of possession of a firearm to promote a violent crime; Conspiracy to possess a firearm to promote a violent crime; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;
• Alfonzo Lee Merriweather, 34, of Augusta, charged with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; Possession of a firearm to encourage drug trafficking; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;
• Terry Kennard Isaacs, 36, of Beaufort, SC, charged with the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana and MDMA;
• James Deon Green, 50, of Savannah, charged with possession of a gun by a convicted felon;
• Gregory Mitchell, 56, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;
• Tyrone Dion Lyons Sr., 37, of Hephzibah, Georgia, charged with possession of a gun by a convicted felon; and,
• B’Quan Ferguson, 31, of Savannah, charged with the possession of a gun by a convicted felon.

The August indictments of two other defendants in connection with the drug trafficking investigation into Operation Wynner Storm in Wilkes County, Georgia, were also recently unsealed, and both made their first appearances in the U.S. Magistrate Court:

• Demont Latrell Gresham, 33, a Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison inmate, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and,
• Tavaris Kexon Ramsey, 43, an inmate at the Colquitt County Correctional Institute in Moultrie, Georgia, is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Criminal charges contain only charges; The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Recently, additional defendants were convicted on federal charges involving illegal possession of firearms:

• Delvon Brown, 35, of Savannah, sentenced to 77 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Brown, with a multiple criminal record, had a gun in the waistband of his pants when he was arrested by Savannah police during a traffic stop on September 5, 2019.
• Burney Cobb, 41, of Port Wentworth, Georgia, was sentenced to 77 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Port Wentworth police arrested Cobb after finding weapons during a search of his home as part of an investigation into the sale of a stolen firearm. Cobb has a long history of convictions for serious criminal offenses, including those of firearms and assault. A co-defendant, Deonte Brown, 27, also from Port Wentworth, awaits his conviction after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
• Alisha Nicole Howard, 35, of Augusta, was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after guilty of divulging an illegal firearm, the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and the distribution of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin had known. A co-defendant, Brian Thomas Myers, 35, of Beech Island, SC, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, three years of supervised release and fined $ 1,000 after pleading guilty to an illegal firearm – one sawed off Shotgun – Transferred to have an ATF agent. The two were charged following an ATF investigation in August 2018.
• Matthew Moore, 31, of Savannah, was sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Moore was charged after Savannah Police found Moore in possession of three guns in June 2019 while investigating a malfunction at a Savannah motel. Moore had a criminal record, including family violence, and was on parole at the time of his arrest.
• John Calvin Young Jr., 35, of Rincon, Georgia, awaits his conviction after pleading guilty to information alleging that he was in possession of a stolen firearm. During a traffic stop on October 24, 2020, Port Wentworth police found Young in possession of a pistol that was later determined to be stolen.
• Dequan Beniman, 26, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Beniman was arrested in January 2020 when Savannah police responded to a report of a man with firearms on a bicycle who found Beniman with two loaded pistols in his pockets and a bag of extra ammunition.
• Tyshaun Richey, 25, of Savannah, awaits his conviction after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police arrested Richey in October 2019 after a traffic stop and a brief car chase and found him in possession of a pistol.
• Tron Smith, 34, of Savannah, awaits his conviction after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police officers responded in June 2019 to a report of a man waving a gun in a motel and found a pistol in the room Smith occupied. Smith’s criminal history includes multiple convictions of domestic violence and obstruction of law enforcement officers.
• Jerry Allen Edenfield, 31, of Swainsboro, Georgia, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Edenfield was arrested on February 10, 2020 when Swainsboro police investigating a report of domestic violence found two pistols and a rifle in a search of Edenfield’s apartment.
• Ashley Nichole Pitts, 30, of Hinesville, Georgia, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Pitts was arrested in January 2019 when the Liberty County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to their apartment to investigate a complaint about a man brandishing a gun. Accompanied by a Georgia Department of Community Supervision officer, MPs found two pistols in Pitts’ home.
• Timothy Lee Cheeks, 33, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to the possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Cheeks was arrested on a pending warrant on methamphetamine possession charges in January 2021 when Richmond County MPs investigating a malfunction in a motel found a loaded pistol in Cheeks’ possession.
• Matthew James Gordon, 27, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a stolen firearm. He was charged in January 2020 after Savannah police found a gun in Gordon’s jacket pocket.
• Dennis O’Keefe Harris, 41, of Savannah, awaits his conviction after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Harris was arrested on January 1, 2019 by Savannah police officers who found a gun in the waistband of his pants after walking during a traffic stop.
• Charles Walker, 54, of Savannah, awaits his conviction after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police found Walker investigating reports of a gunfight in October 2020.
• Jamol Marquise Cuyler, 33, of Augusta, awaits his conviction after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Cuyler was changed by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputies in January 2020 investigating a report of a road traffic incident. Cuyler’s criminal history includes multiple armed crime convictions.

These cases are also investigated as part of the Prosecutor to Prosecutor Program (P3), where federal and state prosecutors work together to determine the most appropriate place to decide suspected crimes.

Authorities investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the Port Wentworth Police Department, the Swainsboro Police Department and the Rincon Police Department.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by U.S. Attorneys for the Southern District Attorney including Henry W. Syms Jr., Patricia G. Rhodes, John P. Harper III, Tania D. Groover, Noah J. Abrams, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.

Under federal law, it is illegal for a person to own a firearm if it falls into one of nine prohibited categories, including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. In addition, possession of a firearm to promote a drug trafficking offense or a violent crime is illegal. It is also illegal to buy – or even try – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or if the gun is illegally buying a gun on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to legally purchase a firearm, is also a federal crime.

You can find more information about the lawful acquisition of firearms at: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.