Department of Justice

SAVANNAH, GA:  A Savannah man who operated an interstate commercial sex trafficking business and distributed drugs has been sentenced to more than three decades in federal prison.

Anthony Wilson Jackson, 50, of Savannah, was sentenced to 366 months in prison after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana; Conspiracy to Engage in Interstate Travel or Transportation in Aid of a Racketeering Business (Prostitution); Possession of a Machine Gun; Possession of a Machine Gun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and Money Laundering Conspiracy, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. After completion of his prison sentence, Jackson must serve five years of supervised release.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Anthony Jackson is a violent serial criminal who profited from trafficking drugs and renting human beings for sex acts,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our law enforcement partners deserve accolades for shutting down his illegal enterprises and removing him from civilized society.”

As described in court documents and testimony, Jackson came to the attention of multiple law enforcement agencies in May 2016 during an investigation into the death of Ava Fulmer, a woman who worked for Jackson and whose body was found inside a burned vehicle in Savannah.

Jackson was identified as the leader of a conspiracy that operated a commercial sex trafficking business across the country, and shipped and distributed large amounts of marijuana in the Savannah area. During subsequent searches, authorities seized drugs and drug trafficking paraphernalia, multiple firearms and ammunition, and more than $7,000 in cash.

As entered into evidence during his sentencing hearing, Jackson was violently abusive, threatening to murder women whom he trafficked for sex and forcing them to bow and pray to him, and in one instance beating his child so severely with a belt that the child urinated and defecated on himself. Jackson previously served prison time for drug trafficking, and while incarcerated he was punished for engaging in multiple assaults, including one in which another inmate was seriously injured.

Jackson also was prosecuted on state charges in 2019 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Two of his codefendants pled guilty to related federal charges and were sentenced to prison. 

Ava Fulmer’s murder remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Savannah -Chatham County at 912-234-2020.

“Our detectives spent a substantial number of hours collaborating with our state and federal partners to bring a violent criminal to justice,” said Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter. “This man was connected to multiple facets of illegal activity that contribute to crime and safety concerns in our community, from guns to drugs to sex crimes. Putting an end to his time on our streets is one more step toward a safer Savannah.”

“This case is the product of a concerted collaborative effort on the part of ATF and its local and federal partners to target, investigate, and eliminate the perpetrators of violent crime,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “This sentence will ensure the incarceration of a dangerous criminal and contribute to the restoration of order and peace.”

“The United States Postal Inspection Service remains committed to assisting its law enforcement partners in investigations that involve anyone using the mail in the furtherance of a criminal enterprise, and in this case, individuals engaged in additional egregious acts that victimize others,” said Joseph Cronin, Postal Inspector In Charge, Miami Division.

“Jackson’s reign of drugs, violence and suffering has thankfully ended. Hopefully, those that he savagely victimized can feel relieved and begin the healing process,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama.

“Concealed income will eventually come to light,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Assistant Special Agent in Charge Lisa Fontanette. “Coordination with other agencies and leveraging each of our strengths is the key in the fight against drugs and sex trafficking. Thanks to the financial expertise and diligence of our agents, these criminals are now off the street and will now be held accountable for their actions. Today’s sentencing is a reminder that there are detrimental consequences for this type of criminal behavior. IRS-CI is committed to continue using our financial expertise wherever we are needed.”

The case was investigated by the Savannah Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tania D. Groover and E. Gregory Gilluly Jr. 

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