Two Savannahians among seven indicted by DOJ for illegal firearms possession
David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced earlier this month seven federal indictments for illegal firearms possession against defendants charged with drug trafficking and other offenses. Two of the seven indicted — Akil Shawron Brown, 21, and Jaleel Keron Frazier, 36, are from Savannah.
The indictments resulted from a multi-level, nationwide law enforcement initiative known as Project Safe Neighborhoods, which coordinates with local police departments to address their most pressing violent crime issues. Illegal possession of firearms and gun violence are top of mind across South Georgia, especially in Savannah where three individuals already have died from gun violence since the start of 2022.
In a DOJ press release, Estes stated, “I have prioritized targeting violent crime in this District and as we continue to work to protect our communities from violent crime, a key element is the identification of those who illegally possess and use firearms.”
According to the DOJ, more than 730 defendants in the Southern District have been charged federally with illegal firearms offenses since 2018. The majority of those charged were found in possession of firearms after a previous felony conviction, as was the case for both Brown and Frazier. Under federal law, individuals with former felony convictions are among the nine different conditions prohibited from carrying, shipping or receiving firearms (see sidebar below).
Launched in 2001, PSN involves collaboration among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and other state and local law enforcement agencies. In the Southern District alone, the DOJ coordinates with 11 state prosecutors and 63 different local agencies, including the Savannah Police Department.
In 2019, the SPD received a nearly $62,000 grant from the DOJ's Safe Neighborhoods initiative to purchase portable fingerprint machines, surveillance cameras and GPS tracking systems.
According to DOJ spokesperson Barry Paschal, "These types of gun cases typically start with a local law enforcement agency, and our office federally adopts individual cases for prosecution either from the agency or from the state prosecutor. PSN is generally the umbrella under which the agencies review cases to determine the best route for prosecution."
Prohibited Persons
According to federal law, it is unlawful for an individual in any of the following situations to "ship, transport, receive, or possess firearms or ammunition":
convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year;
fugitive from justice;
lost the power of self-control to the use of a controlled substance, or a person who is a current user of a controlled substance in a manner other than prescribed by a licensed physician;
if a court, board, commission or other lawful authority has found a person to be a danger to him or herself, or others, or lacks the mental capacity to contract or manager his or her own affairs, or who has been found by the courts as not guilty in a criminal case by reason of insanity or incompetent to stand trial, or has been committed to any mental institution;
an unauthorized immigrant;
dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces ;
renounced his or her United States citizenship;
subject to a court order restraining the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of the intimate partner; or
convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and public health reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@Savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Two Savannahians among seven indicted by DOJ for illegal firearms possession
