A convicted felon was sentenced to 120 months in prison for illegally possessing firearms and distributing methamphetamine, said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
Ulysee Sams Jr., 39, of Macon was sentenced on Thursday, August 6 by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system.
Bibb County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at Sams’ residence on May 15, 2018, seizing two pistols, a rifle with a large capacity magazine and multiple rounds of ammunition, plus a quantity of methamphetamine. Sams has a criminal record, and was convicted in the Superior Court of Bibb County in May 2007 for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. It is illegal for convicted felons to possess firearms. Sams admitted he intended to distribute the methamphetamine for profit.
“Gun crimes mean hard time in the federal system. It is illegal for convicted felons to possess firearms. It is also illegal for drug dealers to possess firearms for use in their drug dealing business. The penalty for illegally possessing a firearm is a lengthy prison sentence without parole,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “I want to thank the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF for their work in this case.”
The investigation was conducted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
The case was investigated by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Will R. Keyes prosecuted the case for the Government.
