“A violent felon and domestic abuser”
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan announced Wednesday that a man with a history of serial domestic violence convictions has been sentenced to 30 years for firearms offenses and drug trafficking.
According to a press release, Jamaul Raheem Boyce, 40, of East Point, “ran a drug trafficking operation from his Clayton County, Georgia, apartment that he shared with his girlfriend and her three young children.”
According to the press release, On June 21, 2019, a U.S. Marshals Task Force served a parole violation warrant for Boyce at his apartment after he had been arrested for aggravated assault against his girlfriend. At the time of that incident, Boyce had been on parole “for a separate domestic violence conviction against a different woman.”
Boyce’s girlfriend and her three young children came out of the apartment but Boyce did not. Deputies went in and found him, “hiding in a bedroom closet with multiple loaded firearms and bulletproof vests lying near him. The officers also saw suspected illicit drugs.”Â
Deputies reported their findings to Clayton County Police, who got a search warrant and seized “distribution quantities of methamphetamine, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, suspected heroin, and assorted pills, as well as drug distribution paraphernalia such as pill presses,” along with “a loaded AR-15 style rifle with an extended magazine, two loaded handguns, two bulletproof vests, and a smoke bomb. These loaded firearms were all readily accessible to the three young children at the residence.”
On September 19, 2022, a federal jury found Boyce guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
“Boyce is a violent felon and domestic abuser,” Buchanan said. “His prior convictions for aggravated assault, aggravated stalking, aggravated battery, family violence battery, and obstruction of a law enforcement officer speak to his disregard for others and the law.”
Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts said, “The collaborative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, and our agency reflects the vision that the Clayton County Police Department will establish safer communities through partnership and collaborations. The arrest of Jamaul Raheem Boyce is the result of effective law enforcement teamwork at the state, federal, and local level. We will continue similar operations to apprehend dangerous criminals who operate in Clayton County.”
“This investigation and sentence are another example of ATF remaining on the frontline of preventing violent crime through excellent cooperation with our law enforcement partners,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “Through this cooperative effort we were able to apprehend and successfully prosecute a violent and dangerous individual which posed a significant threat to the public.”
Georgia Department of Community Supervision Deputy Director of External Affairs Brian Tukes added, “DCS provides individuals under our supervision the resources and support they need to succeed. It is unfortunate that certain individuals chose to not take advantage of these opportunities and instead impose havoc within our communities. We are appreciative of our partners in law enforcement who helped in this effort and remain committed to protecting the citizens of Georgia,”
 This case, which was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Georgia Department of Community Supervision; and the Clayton County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annalise K. Peters and Erin N. Spritzer prosecuted the case.
A check of Clayton County online court records shows Boyce pleaded nolo contendere to two counts this week on a 2019 case where the original charges included aggravated assault and cruelty to children. That case shows a calendar call for April 13 as of press time.
In 2020, Clayton County online court records show, Boyce and another defendant, Liva Alonso, each pleaded no contest to eleven firearms and drug-related trafficking and possession charges.
