Three defendants indicted on federal firearms charges

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

“Removing guns from those who are prohibited from carrying them is a vital part of fighting violent crime,” said Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We appreciate the efforts of our law enforcement partners in keeping our streets safe.” 

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 March include:

• D’Vonta Ealy, 30, of Thomson, Georgia, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Oxycodone; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
• Shawn Hakeem Sibert, 33, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl; and Possession of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime; and,
• Rashaud Johnson, 41, 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:

• Kenyatta Dunn Nero, 40, of Augusta, was sentenced to 188 months in prison and fined $2,000 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.
• Jacorey Rivers, 32, of Savannah, was sentenced to 180 months in prison and fined $1,500 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.
• Jordan Beverly Howard, 37, of Augusta, was sentenced to 72 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, while a co-defendant, Joshua Robert Ward, 45, of Augusta, was sentenced to 188 months in prison and fined $2,500 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, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and fined $1,000 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.
• Raquan Williams, 23, of Savannah, was sentenced to 45 months in prison 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.
• Christopher Jeramy Blair, 44, of Pembroke, Ga., was sentenced to 38 month in prison and fined $2,000 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.
• Eddie Leonard Tolbert, 39, of Augusta, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and fined $1,500 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.
• Wesley Travis Bolding, 43, of Decatur, Georgia, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun. Wrens police officers found a pistol in Bolding’s vehicle during a traffic stop, and determined the gun had a device installed that converted it to automatic fire.
• Tommy Lee Porter, 55, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Columbia County deputies found two rifles in Porter’s possession during a traffic stop.
• Daniel Blount Cates, 50, of Waynesboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. 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. Investigators seized 44 firearms from Cates’ home, vehicle business during a search in May 2024.
• Luke Bunyun Jr., 46, of Waynesboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In June 2024, Richmond County deputies found Bunyun in possession of a 9mm pistol during the investigation of a domestic violence complaint.
• Jack Anthony Bragg, 44, of Statesboro, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Statesboro police found a rifle in Bragg’s vehicle in May 2024 while checking on a suspicious-person call at the Bulloch County Recycling Center.
• Darrell DeMarcus Golden, 31, of Lakeland, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers found a pistol in Golden’s backpack during an investigation at an arcade in downtown Savannah.
• Jakeem Bryant, 29, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers found Bryant in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop.
• Courtland Perry, 32, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, referring to a sawed-off shotgun. Savannah police found a short-barrel .410 shotgun in a bag Perry was carrying while arresting him on a state warrant for aggravated assault.

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