Metro Atlanta brothers sentenced to federal prison for gun trafficking

ATLANTA – A pair of Union City, Georgia, brothers have been sentenced after pleading guilty to numerous federal firearms offenses. Antonio Turrentine, a convicted felon, was sentenced for dealing firearms without a license and possessing firearms after having been convicted of a felony offense. His older brother, Dominique Turrentine, was sentenced for unlicensed firearms dealing.

“The Turrentine brothers sought to trade in firearms and illegal drugs; conduct that often fuels violence and death in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Smart and proactive work by federal law enforcement ensured that the Turrentines will pay for their crimes rather than profit from them.”

“Placing guns in the hands of criminals is a particularly insidious offense,” said Arthur Peralta, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Atlanta.  “Turrentine, and others like him, circumvent the gun laws that are designed to protect communities and supply guns that are sometimes used to victimize innocent people and terrorize our communities.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: between August 2019 and January 2019, Antonio Turrentine sold a total of 32 firearms, including assault rifles, shotguns, and semi-automatic pistols loaded with large capacity magazines, to an informant participating in an ATF-sting operation. Turrentine sold several stolen guns, including one that had been used in a murder. Turrentine knew which of the guns had been reported stolen, and he advised the informant to “ship” those particular weapons out-of-state.

During some of the gun deals, Turrentine was accompanied and assisted by his older brother, Dominique Turrentine. Along with the guns, the Turrentine brothers occasionally sold illegal drugs, specifically marijuana and methamphetamine, to the informant while armed. At no time was either brother licensed by ATF to engage in the business of selling firearms. Additionally, Antonio Turrentine was specifically prohibited from possessing firearms because he had been convicted of a drug trafficking offense in 2016. At the time of their federal crimes, both men were on probation for having trafficked drugs in Oklahoma.

The Turrentine brothers were arrested on February 27, 2020, after arriving at an agreed-upon location where they expected to sell guns and a pound of marijuana. At the time of their arrests, both men were carrying loaded semi-automatic pistols. The marijuana was concealed inside a Girl Scouts cookies box.

Antonio Turrentine, 29, of Union City, Georgia, was sentenced on July 29, 2020, by U.S. District Judge J. P. Boulee to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Dominique Turrentine, 30, also of Union City, Georgia, was sentenced on November 5, 2020, by U.S. District Judge J. P. Boulee to three years, six months in prison.  His sentence will be followed by two years of supervised release.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.

This case was also brought as part of Project Guardian, a national Department of Justice initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws, including those related to firearms trafficking. More information about Project Guardian can be found at https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.