Thirteen people indicted for firearms crimes and related violations as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods

Thirteen people from Ohio were indicted or charged in the past week in U.S. District Court in Cleveland for firearms crimes and related violations.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio is on pace to file approximately 60 percent more firearms and violent crime indictments in Fiscal Year 2018 as it did in the previous two fiscal years.

“These defendants include those with a long history of violent crime, as well as defendants who have illegally obtained guns for criminals to use in violent crime like carjackings,” said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman. “As part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, we will continue to work with local police and federal law enforcement to target the most dangerous offenders and make our community safer.”

“There is no place in our community for those who use firearms for violent, criminal purposes,” said Trevor Velinor, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division.  “ATF will continue to work with our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local levels to bring those individuals to justice.”

Indicted are: Tyla Spencer, 21, of Cleveland; Charles Fortney, 32, of Lorain; Rishad S. Bilal, 23, of Cleveland; Sergio D. Watson, 26, of Barberton; Logan Charles Peters, 20, of Wooster; David Crosby, 41, of Cleveland; Thomas O. Taylor, 36, of Cleveland; Demetrion Gross, 38, of Cleveland; Tony Olds, 37, of Boardman; Miquel Jones, 48, of South Euclid; Cory Moore, 25, of Cleveland; Keith Lundy, 43, of Cleveland, and Gregory Horne, 55, of Warren.

Spencer was charged with one count of making a false statement in acquisition of a firearm. Spencer bought a Glock 9 mm pistol and a Glock .40-caliber pistol on Jan. 3 from Cleveland Armory in Valley View.

Spencer went Cleveland Armory with Lashawn Davis and a juvenile and bought the Glocks with cash that Davis and the juvenile got from robbing a check-cashing store in Cleveland the day before. Spencer falsely stated she was the true buyer of the firearms when, in fact, she was purchasing the firearms on behalf of the males. Davis and the juvenile then used the firearms in a bank robbery and carjacking in February, according to court documents and statements in court.

Davis and the juvenile are in jail and awaiting trial for their crimes.

Fortney was charged with one count of possession of a firearm not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Fortney on March 5 possessed a Kel-Tec 5.56 mm firearm modified with a forward vertical grip which had not been registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, according to the indictment.

Bilal was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He possessed a Glock, Model 26, 9 mm caliber pistol with 15 rounds of ammunition on April 11, after having been previously convicted of drug trafficking, according to the indictment.

Watson was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Watson on April 19 possessed four pistols loaded with ammunition: a Springfield Armory XD 40 .40 caliber pistol, a stolen Smith and Wesson SW40VE .40 caliber pistol, a Ruger SR9C 9mm pistol and a stolen Titan Manufacturing .25 caliber pistol. Watson had previous convictions for burglary, heroin trafficking, aggravated drug trafficking, having weapons while under disability, cocaine possession and other crimes, according to the indictment.

Peters was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Peters on March 28 possessed a Ruger 9 mm pistol and 17 rounds of ammunition despite previous convictions for aggravated motor vehicle theft and drug crimes, according to the indictment.

Crosby was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Crosby on April 22 possessed a Taurus 9 mm caliber pistol with six rounds of ammunition despite having been previously convicted of drug trafficking, robbery and assault on a peace officer, according to the indictment.

Taylor was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Taylor possessed a Taurus .40-caliber handgun and ammunition on March 25 despite two prior convictions for drug trafficking, according to the indictment.

Gross was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. On April 5, he possessed a Diamondback 9 mm handgun, a Glock .40-caliber handgun and ammunition, despite previous convictions for felonious assault, drug trafficking and escape, according to the indictment.

Olds was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Olds on March 18 possessed a Taurus 9 mm pistol and ammunition despite numerous previous convictions, including a conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the indictment.

Jones was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was arrested on May 23for having a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun, a Ruger 9 mm handgun and 16 rounds of ammunition, despite previous convictions for robbery, burglary and domestic violence, according to court documents.

Moore was charged with one count of making false statements in the acquisition of firearms. Moore purchased a Taurus 9 mm pistol from On Target Firearms on State Road in Parma in July 2015. Moore caused to be made false statements about who was the actual buyer on the firearm.

Lundy was charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Lundy possessed a firearm and approximately 500 grams of fentanyl that he planned to sell, according to the indictment.

Horne was charged with possession of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Horne had a Ruger 9 mm pistol and ammunition and 28 grams of crack cocaine on Dec. 15, 2017. He was previously convicted of possession of cocaine, according to the indictment.

These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

These cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority Police, Akron Police Department, Parma Police Department, Youngstown Police Department, Warren Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Crime Strategies Unit.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.