Five central Ohioans indicted in 2022 illegal gun purchasing scheme

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Six people, including five from central Ohio, have been indicted in federal court for allegedly buying and selling dozens of guns illegally.

The U.S. court of the Southern District of Ohio said that three people from Columbus, two from Reynoldsburg, and one from Atlanta face false statement and aggravated identity theft charges for the alleged use of stolen credit card information to buy and sell at least 50 guns in 2022.

Court documents allege that the six suspects placed firearm orders online using stolen credit card information and had the guns transferred to retailers across central Ohio and Georgia for in-person pickup. The retailers for in-person pickup were located in Columbus, Reynoldsburg, New Albany, Pataskala, Pickerington, Atlanta, and Smyrna, Ga.

After picking up the guns, co-conspirators sold them with the suspects accused of filing false statements on federal firearms forms, per court documents. All six suspects have been arrested since the indictment was returned on Oct. 30. The defendants include:

• Keith Davenport III, 21 (Columbus)
• D'andre Beasley, 31 (Columbus)
• Vincent Irvin, 33 (Columbus)
• Ellyson Jeffries, 23 (Reynoldsburg)
• Javohn Garcia, 23 (Reynoldsburg)
• Johna McCoy, 27 (Atlanta)

All six are charged with false statements during the purchase of a firearm while Davenport III, also known as "Keefy", faces an aggravated identity theft charge as well. Each defendant could face up to five years in prison with "Keefy" potentially facing a minimum of seven years.