Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SAVANNAH, GA: Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include charges alleging felons illegally possessed firearms, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges.
“Removing guns from the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them is a vital part of this office’s effort to fight violent crime,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Our law enforcement partners continue their valiant efforts to identify individuals who illegally possess weapons in our communities.”
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 January include:
- Natravien Reshawn Landry, 25, of Abbeville, Louisiana, charged with Premeditated Murder and Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence for the Dec. 14, 2024, fatal shooting of U.S. Army Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr. at Fort Eisenhower in a case under investigation by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Also,
- Fitz Kenney Williams, 33, of Augusta, charged with Illegal Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment;
- Ruben Alejandro Reyna-Mendoza, 47, of Ridgeland, South Carolina, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and,
- Jarvis Jerrell Giles, 36, 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:
- Lial Stephens, 28, of Pooler, Ga., was sentenced to 64 months in prison and ordered to pay $11,400 in restitution after pleading guilty to two counts of Interference with Commerce by Robbery. Stephens pointed a pistol at a Garden City, Ga., convenience store clerk during robberies in September and November 2023.
- Jeremy Studdard, 43, of Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 80 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Studdard, initially facing a federal gun charge, was out on bond for related state charges when Dublin police officers found him in possession of drugs and guns during two separate traffic stops.
- Ray Charles Canady III, 51, of Augusta, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Interference with Commerce by Robbery, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. Richmond County investigators arrested Canady after he brandished a firearm at an Augusta convenience store in February 2024 and threatened an employee before running from the store with cash and lottery tickets.
- Phillip Moore, 29, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers conducting foot patrol in a Savannah neighborhood found Moore in possession of a semiautomatic pistol while arresting him for trespassing.
- Kenneth Moultrie Jr., 24, of Savannah, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Savannah police officers found a semiautomatic pistol in Moultrie’s possession during an April 2024 traffic stop.
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