A Clayton County man previously convicted of multiple felonies has been arrested by federal agents and accused of using a fake ID to buy guns and high-capacity magazines.
Dawuan Na’jee Williams, 39, of Jonesboro, was arraigned Thursday on charges of making false statements to federally licensed firearms dealers, aggravated identity theft and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Kurt Erskine said in a news release.
Williams was not legally allowed to buy guns thanks to prior convictions for burglary, robbery, terroristic threats, kidnapping, aggravated battery and criminal use of personal identification information, Erskine said.
According to an investigation led by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, federal agents believe Williams used a fake ID that showed his photo along with another person’s name and birth date to buy dozens of guns and high-capacity magazines from dealers around metro Atlanta and North Georgia. The investigation began in May when police in New Jersey traced a gun from a crime scene in Newark to Williams’ false identity. The gun had been bought in Georgia just eight days before the crime.
In July, police in Florida recovered another semiautomatic pistol from the scene of a shooting in Tallahassee, Erskine said. That gun was once again traced back to Williams’ fake identity. Williams is believed to split his time living in both Jonesboro and Tallahassee.
According to Erskine, a cellphone video taken of the shooting in Tallahassee showed a suspect wearing a “distinctive red baseball cap and red Gucci belt.” On July 20, federal agents searched Williams’ Jonesboro home and found four guns bought with Williams’ fake ID, empty boxes for other guns, a red baseball cap and a red Gucci belt. Williams was arrested later the same day.
“It is illegal for any convicted felon to possess a firearm,” acting ATF Atlanta Special Agent L.C. Cheeks Jr. said. “These illegally purchased firearms will more than often be used in violent crimes and it is these types of guns that we need to get off our streets.”
Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury Aug. 17 before he was arraigned Thursday, Erskine said. The case continues to be investigated by divisions of the ATF in Atlanta and Newark.
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