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Date: 12-17-2021
Case Style:
Case Number: 1:21-cr-00018-LAG-TQL
Judge: Leslie Abraams Gardner
Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (Dougherty County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Albany, Georgia criminal defense attorney represented defendant charged with being an armed career criminal.
Lenwood Thomas, 40, of Albany, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
“Armed career criminals face steep federal penalties when they choose to repeatedly break the law while possessing guns,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, our office is aligning with locals in the communities we serve and our law enforcement partners at every level to make strategic decisions aimed at decreasing violent crime across Southwest Georgia and the entire Middle District of Georgia.”
According to court documents, Thomas was on parole when officers with the Department of Community Supervision (DCS) and Dougherty County Police Department conducted a search of his home on Feb. 28, 2020, based on evidence that Thomas was conducting illegal drug sales. Officers found a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol in the home, along with illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia. At the time the firearm was found in his possession, Thomas had numerous felony convictions. Following that incident, Thomas was arrested on an unrelated matter on June 14, 2021. At the time, Thomas had outstanding arrest warrants and was spotted by an investigator with the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit. During the attempted stop, Thomas drove away from the officers, committing numerous traffic violations in an attempt to escape but eventually lost control of his vehicle. When his vehicle came to rest in a ditch, Thomas ran away from the scene and was chased by an officer. During the foot chase, Thomas threw items of out a bag he was carrying, including illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia and a BMW key fob. When he was in custody at the Dougherty County Jail, Thomas was recorded telling a family member that he had “5 ½ outfits” in the trunk of his BMW and asked the family member to get in touch with someone who would know what to do with them. Officers sought and obtained a search warrant for the BMW, finding 167.4 grams of cocaine in the trunk and a 9mm pistol.
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 Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Dougherty County Police Department and Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melody Ellis is prosecuting the case for the Government.
18:922(g)(1) and 924(e) - Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
(1s)
21:841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C) - Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute
(2s)
Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment to each Counts 1s and 2s to be served concurrently for a total term of 180 months followed by 3 years supervised release to each Counts 1s and 2s to be served concurrently for a total term of 3 years. $200 mandatory assessment.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: