Moultrie man with gang ties pleads guilty in federal court

Apr. 25—VALDOSTA, Ga. — A documented member of a white supremacist organization that is sometimes affiliated with the Ghost Face Gangsters pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm in a Project Safe Neighborhoods case.

Joel Nelson Tucker, 32, of Moultrie, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge Louis Sands on Tuesday, April 19, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Tucker faces a maximum ten years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for 3 p.m. July 27 before Judge Sands. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents and other evidence: A Colquitt County Sheriff's Office deputy responded to a citizen's call about two individuals driving a truck on property behind his residence, which had been the target of several recent thefts. The deputy recognized the driver as Tucker, who had outstanding arrest warrants, was a known convicted felon and had led deputies on a high-speed pursuit in recent months. Tucker, who was wearing a shoulder holster while seated in the front seat, gave a false name to the deputy. The officer saw a gun resting inches away from Tucker's right hand. When he asked the defendant to exit his vehicle, Tucker replied with an expletive and refused to get out of the truck. The deputy, who had called for law enforcement back-up, gave numerous commands for Tucker to exit the truck. Tucker failed to comply. Tucker moved his hand toward his holster and the deputy deployed his taser. Tucker was handcuffed by another responding deputy and was combative during the arrest.

Tucker, who is a convicted felon, was in illegal possession of a Charter Arms Bulldog .44 special revolver at the time of his arrest, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Tucker was on probation at the time of the arrest and has multiple convictions in Colquitt County, Georgia, Superior Court, including for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and burglary. Tucker is a known and validated member the KKP (Killer Kracker Pride), a hybrid gang that originated in the Colquitt County Jail. KKP is a white supremacy organization that is sometimes affiliated with the Ghost Face Gangster.

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, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. 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 the Colquitt County Sheriff's Office and FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonja Profit is prosecuting the case for the Government.