Savannah man sentenced to more than 35 years in federal prison on machine gun, fentanyl and drug charges

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A Savannah man has been sentenced to more than 35 years in federal prison after being convicted on multiple firearm and drug charges, including possessing illegal machine guns and distributing fentanyl.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, 23-year-old Maurice Williams, also known as “Bando,” was sentenced to 421 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Williams was convicted of:

• Two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
• Illegal possession of a machine gun.
• Possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and marijuana.

He also pleaded guilty to:

• Two additional counts of illegal possession of a machine gun.
• Two counts of distributing fentanyl.

Federal officials noted there is no parole in the federal prison system.

According to court documents, an undercover ATF investigation that began in September 2023 involved multiple purchases of illegal firearms; including Glock handguns equipped with machine gun conversion devices and hundreds of fentanyl-laced pills.

During a September 2024 Savannah Police traffic stop, officers found Williams with a Glock .45-caliber pistol fitted with a conversion device, oxycodone and more than 300 grams of marijuana.

U.S. Attorney Margaret “Meg” Heap and Savannah Police Chief Lenny B. Gunther said the sentence reflects the commitment of federal and local law enforcement to removing illegal guns, drugs and violent offenders from the community.

The case was investigated by the ATF, DEA and Savannah Police and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys L. Alexander Hamner and Makeia R. Jonese.