Federal prosecutors say a 2021 burst of gunfire outside a North Nashville nightclub has finally caught up with Deanthony Moton. The 26-year-old was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison after admitting to a slate of weapons and drug charges that investigators linked to a Jefferson Street shooting that wounded five people outside the House of Legends. Ballistics testing later tied a Glock seized during a traffic stop to shell casings from the scene, and Moton will have to serve four years of supervised release once his federal time is up.
Federal case and sentence
According to WSMV, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee said Moton pleaded guilty to four federal counts: possession of ammunition by a felon, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Prosecutors told the court those charges grew out of a September 2021 arrest following a Mount Juliet traffic stop. The office said the judge ordered a 10-year federal prison term, to be followed by four years of supervised release.
How police say he was caught
As reported by WKRN, Moton’s legal trouble ramped up after Mount Juliet officers pulled over a speeding vehicle on I-40 on September 24, 2021, that was allegedly clocked at 99 miles per hour in a 70-mile-per-hour zone. Officers say Moton was in the front passenger seat. A black Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistol was visible in the glovebox, and when Moton tried to get out of the vehicle, a baggie containing more than 146 grams of methamphetamine fell from his boxers. Investigators said they also recovered $4,833 in cash. U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek called the punishment a matter of public safety, saying, “Violent offenses deserve swift and serious punishment.”
Ballistics tied the gun to Jefferson Street shooting
Investigators processing the scene of the August 29, 2021, shooting outside the House of Legends collected 25 9mm shell casings, eight .40-caliber casings, and three projectiles. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation later matched the .40-caliber casings to the Glock taken from the vehicle in the Mount Juliet stop, according to WSMV. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said a security guard reported seeing someone fire toward the club at about 1:40 a.m., hitting five people, before that person took off in a blue sedan. Detectives later identified Moton from still images pulled from surveillance video.
Criminal history and next steps
State records in Michigan list a Deanthony Joseph Moten with prior convictions in 2016 for fleeing and eluding, receiving stolen property, and lying to police, with sentences ranging from one to five years, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. Federal prosecutors said Moton had previously entered his guilty plea on the federal charges and received his sentence this week; after he serves his federal prison term, he will be placed on supervised release, as reported by WKRN. The federal Bureau of Prisons will decide where he will serve his time.
The case is the latest in a series of violent incidents along Jefferson Street that have put nightlife safety in North Nashville under the microscope. Police and community leaders say the corridor remains a priority for anti-gun initiatives and broader public safety efforts while investigations into other shootings in the area continue.
