Six Indicted on Federal Firearms Charges

Six Toledo-area men were indicted on federal firearms charges, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

“There is no place for felons and others who are forbidden from carrying firearms to walk the streets packing a gun,” Dettelbach said. “We are committed to working with our federal, state and local partners to address gun violence in Northwest Ohio.”

Those indicted in the unrelated cases are:

Michael Gomez, 28, of Toledo, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was arrested on Nov. 6, 2011 and found to be in possession of a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver, despite a previous conviction for felonious assault, according to court records.

Craig Hallauer, 38, of Martin, Ohio, for one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition. Hallauer was arrested on Nov. 17, 2011 and found to be in possession of a Hi-Point 9 millimeter semiautomatic pistol and Winchester 9 millimeter ammunition despite previous convictions for aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and attempted abduction, according to court records.

Devon Hands, 26, of Toledo, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hands was arrested on Nov. 11, 2011 and found to be in possession of a Ruger 9 millimeter semiautomatic pistol, despite a previous conviction for aggravated robbery, according to court documents.

Jul Jackson, 35, of Toledo, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jackson was arrested on Nov. 9, 2011 and found to be in possession of a Makarov 9 millimeter semiautomatic pistol, despite previous convictions for trafficking in cocaine and possession of crack cocaine, according to court records.

Perry L. James, Jr., 27, of Toledo, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. James was arrested on Nov. 4, 2011 and found to be in possession of a Beretta .40-caliber pistol, despite a previous conviction on two counts of trafficking in cocaine, according to court records.

Allen M. Russell, 30, of Sandusky, for being a fugitive in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and using a firearm in drug trafficking crimes.

Russell was arrested on Oct. 20, 2011 and found to be in possession of a Rohm .22-caliber revolver, despite being a fugitive from justice. He was also found to be in possession with intent to distribute 0.5 grams of cocaine and 177.6 grams of marijuana, according to court records.

The investigating agency in these cases is the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Toledo, Ohio and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They are being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Gene Crawford and Thomas Weldon.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences 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. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.