Southern District of Georgia federal indictments include murder, drug- and firearm-related charges and healthcare fraud (DOJ)

SAVANNAH, Georgia: Multiple individuals have been indicted by the August term of the federal Grand Jury in the Southern District of Georgia for a host of charges.

Margaret E. "Meg" Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced the indictments. Those facing federal charges include:

• Robert Kye Sturdy, 67, an inmate at Federal Correctional Institute - Jesup, was indicted for First Degree Murder.
• Lenard Lorenzo Kearse, 38, of Rincon, Georgia, was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, and Carrying a Firearm during and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime; and,
• Perry Patalano, 63, of Augusta, was indicted for Healthcare Fraud, Theft of Government Money, Property or Records, and Aggravated Identity Theft.

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The cases listed above have been investigated by the Bureau of Prisons-Criminal Investigations Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and local law enforcement agencies. These cases are being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley R. Thompson, Matthew Breedon, Henry W. Syms Jr., and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl I. Knoche.