Several area residents are among those facing federal charges including illegal possession of firearms after separate federal indictments, while others have pleaded guilty and received sentences in the Southern District of Georgia recently, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney David H. Estes.
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) and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally carry guns.
“As many of our communities continue to fight violent crime, it is vital that law enforcement agencies work together to remove criminals with guns from our streets,” Estes said in the news release. “We will continue to hold accountable those who endanger our neighborhoods by illegally possessing and using firearms.”
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In the past four years, more than 770 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 September 2022 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:
• Joshua Jerome Russell, 27, of Swainsboro, charged with possession of a firearm in a school zone, and discharge of a firearm in a school zone;
• Windsor Hodge, 64, of Martinez, 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:
• Jamie Lee Cogan, 38, of Thomson, was sentenced to 77 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 arrested Cogan in April 2021 after finding him in possession of a pistol. Cogan was being sought at the time by Pickens County, Ga., authorities on a warrant for violating probation.
• Pernell D. Scott, 33, of Hephzibah, was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Scott after an October 2019 traffic stop when he was found in possession of a pistol.
• Willie Joe Liddell, 38, of Augusta, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies were assisting the U.S. Marshals Service in arresting Liddell on an outstanding warrant when they discovered a pistol in Liddell’s jacket pocket.
• James Wayne Cooper Jr., 37, of Waynesboro, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Burke County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Cooper in October 2020 after Cooper drove into a field and attempted to run away from a traffic stop. Deputies found a loaded pistol in Cooper’s vehicle.
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Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
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.
