Seven men indicted for illegal firearms possession, drugs

SAVANNAH, GA:  Seven defendants face federal charges including drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in U.S. District Court include guilty pleas and criminal sentences related to illegal gun possession. 

The indicted cases are being investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, in an ongoing effort to reduce violent crime with measures that included targeting those who illegally possess firearms.

“I have prioritized targeting violent crime in this District and as we continue to work to protect our communities from violent crime, a key element is the identification of those who illegally possess and use firearms,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “With our law enforcement partners, we want to put everyone on notice that federal resources are being brought to bear and we will fight for the safety of our neighborhoods.”   

In the past four years, more than 730 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony.

Defendants named in federal indictments from the February 2022 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:

• Thomas Kevin Robinson, 51, of College Park, Ga., 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;
• Johnathon Emanuel McGahee, 24, of Thomson, Ga., charged with Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime;
• Jonathan McGregor, 46, of Woodbine, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 or More Grams of Methamphetamine and a Quantity of Heroin; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Deon McWhorter, 36, of Brunswick, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Fentanyl, and 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Jonathan Bennett Capece, 53, of Dublin, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Akil Shawron Brown, 21, of Savannah, charged with Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment; and,
• Jaleel Keron Frazier, 36, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

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

Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on federal charges that include illegal firearms possession:

• William Thomas Nealous III, 30, of Martinez, was sentenced to 52 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies found Nealous with an AR-15 style rifle in his vehicle July 2, 2020, while investigating reports of a man driving slowly through a neighborhood. Nealous was on probation for a prior felony conviction at the time of the arrest.
• Christopher Lewis Tucker Jr., 22, of Thomson, Ga., sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to False Statement During Purchase of a Firearm. Thomson Police officers investigating a shooting in April 2021 learned through an ATF investigation that Tucker had illegally purchased a pistol from a Thomson pawn shop. Tucker claimed the pistol had been stolen, but Harlem Police officers found the pistol in Tucker’s possession during a July 2021 traffic stop.
• Sundiadaa Miller, 33, of Savannah, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Miller, who has a prior state felony conviction for armed robbery, was arrested in January 2020 by Savannah Police officers after he was found in possession of a pistol.
• Tavaris Kexon Ramsey, 43, an inmate at the Colquitt County Correctional Institute in Moultrie, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Ramsey was charged in August 2021 as part of the Operation Wynner Storm drug trafficking investigation in Wilkes County.
• Dillon Cole Gay, 28, of Pembroke, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and to an additional charge of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon for a case from the Eastern District of Tennessee transferred for prosecution in the Southern District of Georgia. Pooler Police officers arrested Gay Oct. 19, 2021 after finding a pistol and drugs in his possession during a traffic stop. 

Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Patrol, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Brunswick Police Department, the Kingsland Police Department, the Dublin Police Department, the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office, and the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Office Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including John P. Harper III and Noah J. Abrams, Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and Timothy Ruffini, with firearms forfeitures coordinated through the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office Asset Forfeiture Unit.

Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense. 

For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.