Jury Convicts Felon with Violent Criminal Past for Illegally Possessing Gun

MACON, Ga. – A federal jury convicted a Valdosta, Georgia, resident with a lengthy and violent criminal history of illegally possessing a firearm after officers discovered an AK-47 style firearm during a domestic violence investigation triggered by a child attempting to protect his mother.

Angelo Devon Williams, 35, was found guilty of one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Nov. 14. The trial began on Nov. 13 before U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson at the federal courthouse in Macon. Williams faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 20, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia. The defendant is not eligible for parole.

“Angelo Williams not only has a violent criminal history, but he was illegally armed when a child bravely attempted to protect his mother,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “We have zero tolerance for violent convicted felons who illegally possess firearms. Working with our law enforcement partners at every level, our office will continue to pursue these worthy prosecutions.”

“The abhorrent behavior conducted by Williams, especially in the presence of a child, is shocking,” said Rich Bilson, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Valdosta office. “This conviction sends the message that the FBI and our partners are devoted to removing violent criminals from our neighborhoods to make them safer for law abiding citizens.” 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Lowndes County, Georgia, 911 received a call from a child the night of July 26, 2020, who told the operator something related to his mother “was being hit.” The 911 operator called back and spoke to the next-door neighbor of the location where the domestic dispute was occurring; Valdosta Police Department patrol officers were dispatched to the scene. Officers found a woman standing outside of the residence who said that Williams allegedly assaulted her and had left the scene shortly before the officers arrived. The victim had significant scrapes, scratches, cuts and bruises on her body and face and a large knot in the center of her forehead.

The victim told officers that Williams had allegedly taken the keys of the victim’s rental car and refused to give them back when she and her child asked. Williams allegedly pushed the child and began punching the victim. The altercation continued when the child ran to the next-door neighbor’s house and called 911.

The rental car was full of Williams’ belongings, including his AK-47 style semi-automatic rifle. Williams has prior state felony convictions for robbery/carjacking in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and felony fleeing/attempting to elude in Hamilton County, Florida. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.

The case was investigated by FBI and the Valdosta Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sonja Profit and Monica Daniels are prosecuting the case for the Government.