Nashville Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearms Violations on Day Before Trial
Two Brothers Shot in 2019 Incident
NASHVILLE – A Nashville, Tennessee man scheduled for trial Tuesday pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to drug and firearms violations, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin.
Anthony Ussery, 40, pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm; being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition; and possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl.
According to Court records, on May 8, 2019, officers with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) responded to a shots-fired call at the intersection of East Trinity Lane and Meridian Street and discovered two victims with gunshot wounds. Video footage from a nearby business showed a black sedan approach the victims and an individual fire multiple shots before fleeing the scene. The subsequent investigation identified Ussery as the shooter, and the two victims, who are brothers, believed the shooting occurred as a result of a recent dispute with Ussery. Ussery was later arrested and charged by MNPD in relation to this shooting.
On March 23, 2021, while out on bond for the May 2019 shooting, Ussery was stopped by a Nashville Airport Authority police officer for a traffic violation and was found to be in possession of 57 grams of fentanyl and a loaded 9mm pistol. On March 25, 2021, a federal criminal complaint charged Ussery with federal crimes and he was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on July 13, 2021.
Ussery has four prior felony convictions, including attempted robbery; manslaughter; facilitation of the sale of drugs; and possession with intent to distribute Schedule IV controlled substances. In light of these prior convictions, Ussery qualifies as an Armed Career Criminal subject to a mandatory minimum of 15 year’s imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled to occur on August 11, 2022.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms & Explosives; the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department; and the Nashville Airport Authority Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Kurtzman and Dwight Artis are prosecuting the case.
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