Five Augusta men are headed to federal prison in the latest set of gun prosecutions moving through U.S. District Court.
The cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies to take guns out of the hands of convicted felons.
“Removing illegally possessed firearms from convicted felons plays a key role in reducing violent crime in our communities,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Defendants recently sentenced after pleading guilty to possessing a weapon by a convicted felon include:
- Tony Lavardo Blount Jr., 32, of Augusta. Blount was sentenced to 78 months and fined $1,500 after Columbia County deputies found a pistol in his pocket while responding to a report of domestic violence in Grovetown.
- Reco Casey, 33, of Augusta. Casey was sentenced to 57 months in prison after deputies found a pistol in the vehicle where Casey was a passenger. He was on state felony probation.
- Derrick Drurell Long, 32, of Augusta. Long was sentenced to 56 months and fined $1,500 after Georgia Department of Community Supervision officers found a pistol in his apartment during a June 2020 search.
- Tavares L. Freeman Jr., 22, of Augusta. Freeman was sentenced to 45 months in prison and fined $1,500 after he was seen tossing a pistol from a window of his home during a search.
- Steve Shontell Heath, 46, of Hephzibah. Heath awaits sentencing after a Burke County sheriff’s deputy found a pistol in his vehicle.
Also sentenced on gun charges was:
- Cortez Timmie Dinh, 27, of Martinez. Dinh was sentenced to three years’ probation, fined $1,500 and ordered to serve 40 hours of community service. He pleaded guilty to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm for a man, Jose Ramon Valero Jr., who was prohibited from possessing guns due to a domestic violence conviction.
