Ronnie Lee Hughes, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Georgia 2019

Macon, GA – A convicted felon from Griffin, Georgia has been sentenced to 210 months in prison for running an underground illegal gun trade while on parole, said U.S. Attorney Charles ‘Charlie’ Peeler.

Ronnie Lee Hughes, 39, was sentenced on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell to 210 months of imprisonment and five years supervised release. Defendant Hughes was found guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon by a federal jury on July 17, 2019.

Defendant Hughes has eight prior felony state convictions beginning in 1999, including four separate entering auto convictions, three separate burglary convictions and one theft by taking conviction. His past crimes occurred in Upson, Laurens, Pike and Monroe counties, all charged in Superior Court. His last conviction was in Monroe County Superior Court in December 2008 for burglary.

Defendant Hughes was on parole when he was taken into custody by Lamar County deputies on August 31, 2016, arrested during an undercover operation into his illegal gun trade.

‘The penalty is steep for convicted felons found with guns in Middle Georgia,’ said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. ‘Stopping the underground illegal gun trade is crucial in our efforts to remove guns from dangerous persons and decrease violent crime in our communities. We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and arrest felons with guns, and we will continue to prosecute these offenders.’

A Confidential Informant (CI) told Lamar County deputies that Mr. Hughes, a convicted felon on parole, was selling guns. Lamar County deputies worked with the CI to set up a meeting on August 31, 2016, with the intent of the CI to arrange a purchase of the guns from Mr. Hughes. In one conversation between the CI and Mr. Hughes, the defendant warned that the buyer arranged by the CI ‘better not be a cop’ because he was a convicted felon and it was illegal for him to sell guns.

At the appointed time and place for the sale, Lamar County deputies met Mr. Hughes and took him into custody, seizing four weapons and ammunition.

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