Convicted felon traveling to GA will spend 4 years in prison for illegal gun possession

GEORGIA — A Mississippi man will spend four years in prison for being a convicted felon possessing firearms while traveling to Georgia.

Joshua Colston, 50, of Corinth, Miss., was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Leslie Gardner on Aug. 15.

“Safeguarding our communities from all threats is the top priority of our office and of law enforcement at every level,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Illegally armed convicted felons will face federal prosecution when they are caught with guns in the Middle District of Georgia.”

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Colston is a member of an anti-government extremist group who took part in online discussions to kidnap and attack federal officials on Thanksgiving Day 2022, the FBI learned.

The group used an online chatroom on a Zello chat titled, “NCM Leadership” or National Constitutional Militia.

Colston and other NCM members discussed a plan to kidnap or attack elected federal officials on Thanksgiving Day 2022. However, the plan was never developed due to the group’s lack of resources and the poor health of the members, officials say.

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Colston was arrested in Fitzgerald, Georgia, on Dec. 14, 2022, where he went to purchase horses. He told federal agents his intentions were to travel horseback across the country for several years, and he was preparing to go “off the grid.”

Officials arrested Colston after he was found in illegal possession of five firearms: a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, a .40 semiautomatic pistol, a .22 semiautomatic rifle, a semiautomatic shotgun and a .44 lever-action rifle. One of the rifles officials say was found to be stolen in Alcorn County, Miss.

Officials also found Colston in possession of a bulletproof vest and more than 3,500 rounds of ammunition, including armor-piercing rounds, in his vehicle.

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“Thanks to the hard work and collaboration of our law enforcement partners, Colston will spend time behind bars where he will not be able to carry out any of his extremist plans to harm members of our community,” said Rich Bilson, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Albany office. “FBI is determined to hold convicted felons illegally possessing firearms accountable for their crimes.”

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