Department of Justice

Five people – including men with convictions for attempted murder with a firearm and abduction -- were indicted in federal court for firearms crimes.

 

Indicted are: Malik Abdul Aziz, also known as Tommie Beaman, 48, of Cleveland; Tonio Burton, 28, of Cleveland; Diablo Tate, 38, of Euclid; Hannibal Yarbo, 27, of Cleveland, and Johnny L. Geiger, Jr., 22, of Maple Heights.

 

“These cases demonstrate again why firearms enforcement is vital to making our community safer,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “These defendants include people convicted of attempted murder, abduction and other crimes. These defendants have no business carrying firearms or ammunition.”

 

“ATF’s core mission is reducing violent gun crime in our communities,” said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Roland Herndon.  “We work side by side with our federal, state, and local partners to follow the gun and remove the most violent criminals from our streets.”

 

Aziz on December 28, 2018, possessed .32-caliber pistol and ammunition, despite previous convictions for attempted murder with a firearms specification, aggravated robbery with a firearms specification, felonious assault with a firearms specification, kidnapping with a firearms specification, aggravated robbery with a firearms specification and attempted burglary, according to the indictment.

 

Burton on December 10, 2018, possessed a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol and ammunition, despite previous convictions for drug trafficking, assault on a police officer and drug possession, according to the indictment.

 

Tate on October 4, 2018 possessed a DPMS AR-15 rifle and 26 rounds of ammunition despite previous convictions for drug trafficking, assault on a police officer and drug possession, according to the indictment.

 

Yarbo on January 16, 2019, possessed a Smith & Wesson 9 mm handgun and 18 rounds of ammunition, despite previous convictions for abduction and drug trafficking, according to the indictment.

 

Geiger on June 7, 2018, made false and fictitious statements when attempting to purchase a Taurus 9 mm pistol from Point Blank Range and Gun Shop in Mentor, namely that he was the actual buyer of the firearm, and that he had never been convicted of a felony, 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 records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

 

These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN was reinvigorated in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

 

These cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cleveland Division of Police and the Euclid Police Department. They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Galvin, John Hanley, Kathryn Andrachik, Scott Zarzycki and Payum Doroodian.

 

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.