A Statesboro man was sentenced to more than five years in prison and two other area men also received lengthy sentences on federal gun charges.

The sentences were handed down in the Southern District of Georgia, while additional defendants also were sentenced and more were indicted on felony charges for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution.

Tommy Cowart, 60, of Statesboro was sentenced to 66 months and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Bulloch County deputies arrested Cowart after finding a rifle in his car during a traffic stop.

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.

“In addition to taking guns out of the hands of convicted felons, these cases also demonstrate the increased danger posed by the growing number of illegal machine guns on the streets,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to identify and remove these illegal weapons from our communities.”  

Also, Darrell Lamar Williams, 25, of Claxton was sentenced to 64 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Georgia State Patrol troopers arrested Williams after a traffic stop and found him in possession of ammunition.

Akeem Ajmia Lanier, 36, of Metter was sentenced to 77 months in prison and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Metter police officers found a pistol in Lanier’s vehicle during a traffic stop.

James Allen Ponder, 47, of Sylvania was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The court also indicted 11 other southeast Georgia residents on weapons and drug charges, while seven others were sentenced and 13 more await sentencing.

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.