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Date: 08-02-2021
Case Style:
Case Number: 4:20-cr-00035-CDL-MSH
Judge: Clay D. Land
Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (Muscogee County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: Middle District of Georgia United States Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Columbus, Georgia criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with gun trafficking.
Maurice Toney, 47, of Columbus, was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“Repeat criminal offenders caught in illegal possession of firearms in Columbus will face federal prosecution,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Our office is working closely with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to prosecute the most violent and habitual felons that continually disregard the law and disrupt the community.”
“Prohibited individuals in possession of firearms are a danger to our communities,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Schmidt, ATF Atlanta Field Division. “We will always work with our partners to identify and prosecute these types of people to make our citizens safer."
According to court documents, ATF conducted a gun trafficking investigation in the Columbus area in August and September 2020. Toney was under surveillance for suspected firearms and methamphetamine trafficking. A confidential informant (CI) purchased 46 grams of methamphetamine from Toney at a Columbus food mart. On the same day, the CI traveled with Toney to a Columbus residence to purchase a 20-gauge, pump-action shotgun and a .38SPL revolver from Toney. Then, the CI went with Toney to another Columbus residence to purchase a semi-automatic rifle with one magazine and 15 rounds of .22LR ammunition from Toney. Toney has a lengthy criminal history to include convictions for theft by taking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and habitual violator in the Superior Court of Muscogee County, Georgia. It is illegal for convicted felons to possess firearms.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Williams prosecuted the case for the Government.
18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and § 924(a)(2) - Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
(1)
Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 63 63 months imprisonment, 3 years supervised release, and a $100.00 mandatory court assessment.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: