AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Five CSRA suspects have been indicted on felony counts of unlawful possession of firearms, according to authorities.

Indictments recently returned in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges of unlawful possession of firearms, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or are awaiting further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal weapons charges.

“As we continue to see the proliferation of illegal guns converted to fully automatic fire, we commend our law enforcement partners for acting to limit this threat to our neighborhoods,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia South of Georgia. “Keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals remains a priority for our office.”

Cases are prosecuted under 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 November include:

• Antonio Rodríguez Holmes III30, of Augusta, was charged with unlawful possession of a machine gun, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
• Luke Bunyun Jr. 46, of Waynesboro, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
• Lemar Neil Robinson, 35, of Savannah, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

He was also charged in a recently opened indictment Charlie Sapp57, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

All defendants charged are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendants who have recently gone to trial on federal firearms charges include:

• Keyeon Demar Tykeim Smith, 23, of Augusta, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to receiving a firearm by an indicted person. Richmond County deputies found a handgun in Smith’s possession while serving an arrest warrant.
• Brodrick Kyle Merritt, 42, of Augusta, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as an armed career felon. Richmond County deputies found a handgun in Merritt’s possession during a traffic stop. Merritt was on probation for the state charges when he was arrested and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
• Scottie Eugene Bryant48, of Grovetown, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Grovetown police officers searched Bryant’s residence and seized several firearms in April 2023.
• Richard Bruce Salyer Jr., 49, of Forsyth, Ga., was sentenced to 170 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Chatham County police officers found a handgun in Salyer’s waistband while investigating a report of a stolen vehicle in November 2023. Salyer has two prior convictions for unlawful possession of firearms and was a fugitive from Jefferson County, Georgia, Correctional Institution.
• David Kreiss, 49, of Twin City, Ga., was sentenced to 88 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Twin City police found Kreiss in possession of a shotgun and four shotguns while investigating a domestic disturbance.
• Kavon Smalls, 29, of Savannah, was sentenced to 42 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police found a handgun after chasing Smalls as he ran from a crashed vehicle during an attempted traffic stop.
• Maleak J. Parrish, 24, of Savannah, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police found a handgun in Parrish’s possession during a traffic stop.
• Raquan Williams, 23, of Savannah, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Williams attempted to buy a shotgun from a Chatham County firearms dealer in June 2023, falsely claiming he was not under indictment at the time on state charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault.
• Stanley Hall, 22, of Savannah, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police found Hall in possession of a handgun while investigating an attempted carjacking.
• Colonel Corinthian Lamar, 26, of Savannah, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Officers from the Savannah Police Department and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision found two firearms in the colonel’s residence during a search in September 2023.
• Eddie Robertson, 30, of Savannah, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Savannah police officers found Robertson in possession of a handgun after a December 2023 traffic stop and foot chase.
• Jacorey Rivers, 32, of Savannah, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a machine gun and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Rivers was on supervised release when she fled a traffic stop and crashed. Officers found a Glock pistol in his possession that had been converted to automatic fire.
• Willie Dunbar, 45, of Villa Rica, Georgia, is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possessing a machine gun. During a January traffic stop, Wheeler County deputies found Dunbar in possession of a Polymer80 “ghost gun” equipped with a device that converts it to automatic fire.

The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.

Under federal law, it is illegal for a person to own a firearm if they fall into one of nine prohibited categories, including being a felon; illegal alien; or illegal user of a controlled substance. In addition, it is illegal to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or a violent crime. It is also illegal to buy – or even attempt to buy – firearms if the purchaser is a prohibited person or illegally purchases a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to legally purchase a firearm, is also a federal crime.

For more information from the ATF regarding the legal purchase of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atfw-form-4473.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.