Multiple firearms-related indictments continue Project Guardian's collaborative law enforcement initiative

Federal charges include drug trafficking, illegal firearms possession

SAVANNAH, GA:  Nine defendants have been indicted by a U.S. District Court grand jury on federal charges including illegal possession of firearms.

All of the indictments target previously convicted felons who are prohibited from possessing firearms, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

“Identifying and removing gun criminals from our communities is a key component of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice initiative to fight gun crime,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to target offenders who illegally possess and use firearms.”

Those named in the federal indictments include:

• Terry Key, 33, of Jesup, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; Distribution of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Key was arrested in January after an investigation by the Jesup Police Department led to a search of his motel room in which drugs and firearms were found. The charges carry a possible penalty of up to life in prison.     
• Reginald Terry, a/k/a “Pete,” 37, of Jesup, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, MDMA and Cocaine; Distribution of Heroin; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Possession of a Stolen Firearm; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Terry was arrested in November 2019 when Jesup Police searched his motel room and found drugs and firearms, including a pistol, an SKS rifle and an AR-15 rifle. The charges carry a possible penalty of up to life in prison.
• Khallid Marquese Wright, 24, of Augusta, charged with Possession of Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Wright, who was stopped in February by Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies for questioning in an unrelated case, was found in possession of a firearm. The charges carry a possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
• John Thomas Barnes III, 32, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Barnes was arrested in March when Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies found a pistol in his vehicle during a traffic stop. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
• Kinsey Lanier Jackson, 50, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Jackson was charged in February after Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies found a pistol in his pocket during a traffic stop. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
• Shaquaries Alexis Kimble, 25, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Kimble was arrested in February after a he was found in possession of a pistol by Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies investigating a report of a stolen weapon. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
• Zachary Brent Sadler, 27, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Sadler was charged by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in October 2019 after he pawned a handgun. When he later returned to repurchase the gun, the purchase was denied during a background check. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
• Damien Lamont Wimberly, 40, of Augusta, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Wimberly initially was found in possession of a firearm at a Richmond County Sheriff’s Office traffic checkpoint, and was later arrested when he was determined to be a convicted felon. The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. 
• Larry Jackson III, 30, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Jackson was arrested in July 2019 by Savannah Police officers investigating reports of gunshots found him in possession of a pistol. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison.   

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

“This inter-agency collaboration and the resulting indictments goes a long way towards addressing gun violence by removing from our streets firearms and those willing to obtain them illegally and potentially use them,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the ATF.

The cases are investigated under Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws, and the Prosecutor to Prosecutor Program (P3), in which federal and state prosecutors collaborate to determine the most appropriate venue for prosecuting crimes.

In addition to the ATF, agencies involved in investigation of the cases include the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Jesup Police Department, the Savannah Police Department, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

The cases are being investigated for the United States by Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Office Assistant U.S. Attorneys including Project Guardian Coordinator Henry W. Syms; Alejandro V. Pascual IV; Joshua S. Bearden; Patricia G. Rhodes; and Frank M. Pennington II.