Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Four from Northeast Ohio Indicted for Federal Firearms Violations
Four men were indicted on federal firearms charges, said David A. Sierleja, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Duane E. Spagnola, 30, of Warren, Dwaylen D. Sellers, 22, of Youngstown, and Corey D. Johnson, 26, of Cleveland, are charged with being felons in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Timothy C. Bowers, 45, of Conneaut, is charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, and maintaining a drug premises.
The cases are unrelated.
Spagnola possessed a Colt, model Trooper Mark III, .357 magnum caliber revolver, and ammunition,
on Feb. 21, 2017, after having been convicted of attempted felonious assault in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in 2014, according to the indictment.
Sellers possessed a Colt, model Trooper MK V, .357 Magnum revolver, and ammunition on Feb. 3, 2017, after having been convicted of robbery in the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas in 2016, according to the indictment.
Johnson had a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber pistol and ammunition on Oct. 3, 2016, despite a 2010 conviction in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, according to the indictment.
Bowers possessed a Hi-Point, model 4095, .40 caliber rifle, a New England Firearms, model Pardner, 20-gauge shotgun, a Hopkins & Allen, .32 caliber revolver, a Savage Arms, model Mark II, .22 caliber rifle, and ammunition on Jan. 11, 2017, after having been convicted of illegal manufacturing of drugs in the Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas in 2008, according to the indictment.
Bowers also maintained a premises on East Main Road in Conneaut, for the purpose of distributing and using controlled substances, according to the indictment.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The Spagnola case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer following an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Warren Police Department.
sge.Sellers case is being prosecuted by Toepfer following an investigation by the ATF and the Youngstown Police Department.
sge.Johnson case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron P. Howell following an investigation by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Twinsburg Police Department.
The Bowers case is being prosecuted by Toepfer following an investigation by the ATF, the Conneaut Police Department, and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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