Cleveland man tried to build criminal enterprise called ‘Felonation,’ FBI says

CLEVELAND, Ohio— A Cleveland man tried to build a criminal enterprise called "Felonation" on the foundation of robberies and drug dealing, according to the FBI.

Damien Sample, 48, planned to grow his operation by illegally buying guns, robbing people and using stolen money to buy drugs to sell to dealers, according to court records.

Authorities on Wednesday arrested Sample on federal charges of possessing a weapon with a felony record and distributing methamphetamine.

Another person who FBI agents said worked with Sample, Steven Allen Johnson, was also arrested on Wednesday. Johnson is accused of selling drugs and guns to Sample and is charged with selling firearms to a felon and distributing controlled substances.

U.S. District Magistrate Judge James Grimes ordered Sample and Johnson to remain in federal custody until hearings set for next week.

Sample's attorney, Scott Friedman, declined comment, and a message was left for Johnson's attorney, Anthony Vegh.

FBI agents used a confidential informant from December 2023 to October 2024 to buy a handgun and 600 methamphetamine pills directly from Sample and an American Flag colored shotgun and ammunition from Johnson for $640, according to court records.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents also backtracked some of the guns possessed or sold by Johnson and found they were all purchased by the same person. The guns popped up during arrests or text messages from Johnson within 105 days or less of being purchased, according to court records.

That indicated to agents that the person buying the guns was buying them illegally for Sample, a convicted felon who can't legally buy guns, court records said.

Sample's criminal history includes a 1998 armed robbery of a Taco Bell employee depositing $2,500 at a Bedford bank and for a 2001 botched robbery that turned into a shootout at a bank on Cleveland's East Side.

During the shootout, Sample shot a bank security guard in the cheek, neck and hand. The security guard, who survived, shot Sample in the abdomen and police found him lying in a pool of blood.

Sample spent about one year in prison for the 1998 robbery and to 16 years in prison for the shootout.