Feds Continue Efforts to Remove Montgomery Area Gang Members and Violent Felons from the Streets

Montgomery, Alabama – The United States Attorney for the Middle District, George L. Beck, Jr., announced today that the federal government is continuing its efforts to remove gang members and violent felons from the streets of Montgomery in the latest round of indictments and arrests. In the last 4 months, federal grand juries have indicted multiple drug dealers, convicted felons and gang members. In the latest sweep of arrests, a federal grand jury sitting in Montgomery, Alabama, returned indictments against eleven (11) subjects for federal firearms charges.  Six of the subjects, Keyon BUTLER (4/27/93), Demarcus PARKER (10/28/92), Dakota MCCALLISTER (3/19/94), Virgil NICKENS (11/23/79), David GOODWIN JR (8/3/66), and Kenneth WELLS (9/26/81) were alleged to be convicted felons involved in the trafficking of firearms. Two other subjects, Lavaris Deandre YOUNGBLOOD (12/18/85) and Roshien Kazair CARLTON (9/8/83) were charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon that stemmed from them shooting at each other at a gas station in Montgomery. Anthony PACE (11/17/80), Maurice FORTSON (10/16/91), and Jeremy SMILEY (2/20/89) were all convicted felons, charged with possession of firearms and ammunition.

The men face possible sentences of up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted.

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, stated, “Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives will continue to target trigger pullers and firearms traffickers who are directly and indirectly responsible for the majority of the gun violence within the Middle District of Alabama”.

The arrests were made by the Montgomery Police Department, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Tallassee Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Marshalls Service, and the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.

The cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The cases will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Todd Brown, John J. Geer, III, Steven Lee, Rand Neeley, and Denise O. Simpson.