MACON, Ga. — The founder of the Mafia criminal street gang and man accused of aiding in 2023 Bibb Jail escape is facing up to 15 years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, according to United States Attorney’s Office Middle District of Georgia.
45-year-old Alphonzo Clyde pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on April 10. Clyde is facing a maximum of 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Clyde’s sentencing is scheduled for July 3 and there is no parole in the federal system.
“The Mafia criminal gang is tied to violent crime and large-scale fentanyl distribution in Macon and Middle Georgia, causing grave harm to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Federal, state and local law enforcement is focused on dismantling all violent criminal enterprises and holding their associates accountable in our collaborative effort to keep people safe.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, Clyde is the documented founder of the Mafia, a criminal street gang operating in Middle Georgia and West Virginia. Clyde was wanted on an outstanding probation violation warrant when officers from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Jones County Sheriff’s Office arrested him on Oct. 8, 2023. They found a digital scale with a white powdery substance in the front seat of the SUV that he was driving. They also smelled marijuana coming from the call. They also found a Taurus G2S 9-millimeter handgun inside the glovebox.
In November, Sheriff David Davis said the Mafia including Clyde aided in the Bibb County Jail escape in Oct. 2023.
"Terico Balkcom and Alphonzo Clyde, these are very, particularly Alphonzo Clyde. He's a particularly high-ranking member of the mafia organization," Davis said. "Now, he's facing federal charges in connection to his involvement with Mr. Barnwell and in the escape."
The sheriff didn't specify exactly how Clyde helped, but he says the gang aided Barnwell after he got out.
"They were in some ways helping him, some ways connected to him. His being out helped to further the mafia, their business," Davis said.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Jones County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the Government.
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