UPDATE: Macon gang leader sentenced to 15 years in prison for illegal firearm possession
The founder of the Mafia criminal street gang in Middle Georgia, Alphonzo Clyde, was sentenced to the maximum prison term allowed by law for illegally possessing a firearm.
UPDATE (10/17/24): The founder of the Mafia criminal street gang in Middle Georgia, Alphonzo Clyde, was sentenced to the maximum prison term allowed by law for illegally possessing a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell sentenced the 45-year-old Macon resident to 180 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on Thursday, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Clyde pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on April 10. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Alphonzo Clyde and the Mafia wreaked havoc in Macon and beyond for years,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “This significant sentence should directly result in reduced violence.”
Clyde, the founder of the Macon Mafia gang, was arrested on October 8, 2023, by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Jones County Sheriff’s Office. According to court documents, officers discovered a handgun in Clyde’s vehicle at the time of his arrest. Clyde has multiple prior felony convictions, which makes it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom prosecuted the case.
ORIGINAL STORY (5/3/24):
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The founder of the Mafia criminal street gang faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a firearm, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
45-year-old Alphonzo Clyde, a convicted felon, was caught with a handgun in 2023. Clyde pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on April 10.
Clyde is facing a maximum of 15 years, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
“The Mafia criminal gang is tied to violent crime and large-scale fentanyl distribution in Macon and Middle Georgia, causing grave harm to our community,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “Federal, state and local law enforcement is focused on dismantling all violent criminal enterprises and holding their associates accountable in our collaborative effort to keep people safe.”
Clyde’s sentencing is scheduled for July 3.
