Two Statesboro men were indicted Tuesday in Federal court in Savannah on weapons charges that are part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative.
Statesboro residents Tommy Cowart, 60, and Donyah Rayquan Hardaway, 27, are both charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, while Hardaway also is charged with possession of a stolen firearm.
According to a release from the Southern District of Georgia, the cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a collaboration of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI, to reduce violent crime with measures that include targeting convicted felons who illegally possess guns.
“A key factor in our fight against violent crime is to remove guns from the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them – particularly convicted felons,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We commend our law enforcement partners for their diligent work in keeping our streets safe.”
In the past four years, more than 800 defendants have been prosecuted in the Southern District for firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony. That charge carries a statutory penalty of up to 15 years in prison, and there is no parole in the federal system.
In addition to the indictments, 16 other Southeast Georgia men were sentenced Tuesday in Savannah to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal charges, including illegal possession of firearms.
Among those awaiting sentence are Jovonn Courtney Stokes, 26, of Springfield and Joquan K. Clark, 25, of Waynesboro.
Stokes pled guilty to three counts of interference with commerce by robbery, and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. In his plea agreement, Stokes admitted that he brandished a handgun while robbing two Chatham County convenience stores and an Effingham County convenience store in November and December 2022.
Clark pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Waynesboro Police officers responding to a domestic dispute arrested Clark after finding a pistol in his pocket.