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2024-03-29T06:46:58Z
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A Death in London
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/a-death-in-london
2020-12-05T14:20:03.000Z
2020-12-05T14:20:03.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/a-death-in-london" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237162300,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237162300?profile=original" /></a>By Thom L. Jones for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>This is a story of gangs of London, or at least one of them, the ruthless murder of a truly innocent man, and the irony of coincidence on a scale that is almost impossible to believe: A man shoots a man dead in broad daylight in the West-End of Britain’s biggest city. Another man walks by the scene a few minutes later, sees the victim being attended to and carries on. A few months later, this man will kill the killer. Legally.</p>
<p>In 1947 England, hanging was the ultimate corporal punishment. Murder is illegal. Citizens cannot kill each other. The State, however, retains the right to kill its citizens. The executioner maintains social order.</p>
<p>This is their story.</p>
<p>I am not Jack Webb but I want the facts. These are they, perhaps. After over seventy years, it’s still difficult to pin down even some basics.</p>
<p>The victim is Alec de (De) Antiquis. His name spelled in various ways and his age varies from 26 to 31 or 34 according to the source used. He was in fact born in 1911 in London, to an Italian father and English mother, surname Spense. (1)</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237162101,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237162101?profile=original" /></a>There seems to be no image of him in the public domain, other than the famous photograph taken by press agency photographer, Geoffrey Harrison, which shows only a crumpled figure lying in a gutter being attended to by two men crouching by his side.</p>
<p>Married to Gladys Irene Collins, three years younger than her husband, they have six children. He has a small repair shop called L & A Motors in the High Street, in Colliers Wood, South London catering to local motor-bike and car owners. He’s up to his neck in debt and struggling to make things work. A good man, doing his best in hard times.</p>
<p>He is shot dead a little after 2:30 pm on the afternoon of Friday, April 29.</p>
<p>The man who walks past the scene is Albert Pierrepoint, the official hangman for the British government on his way to meet some friends in a nearby pub. Before he left England to go to Germany and execute convicted war criminals. The most prolific hangman ever in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=England" target="_blank">England</a>, he dispatched 430 men and women over his twenty-five-year career.</p>
<p>Or was he actually already in the place, The Fitzroy Tavern, down the street already, and watched the whole thing from a bar stool?</p>
<p>Except the public bar is a hundred yards south of the corner where all the action was taking place.</p>
<p>He may have seen three men running past the pub as they fled the crime scene.</p>
<p>Someone once said how outstanding the human capacity was for self-delusion. Or is it the law of unintended consequence in action?</p>
<p>The one thing we know for sure is that in five months, less ten days, Albert will execute two men in a double hanging for the crime committed in this part of North Soho, known as Fitzrovia.</p>
<p>The brutal killing traumatized the capital and the country and for many people, its random, almost off-hand cold-blooded ferocity seemed to personify the ever-growing crime wave that threatened post-war <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=London" target="_blank">London</a>. The gangs were murdering anyone who got in their way. Of course, it wasn’t quite that bad. Then again, maybe it was. By 1947, over 10,000 men between fourteen and twenty had been convicted as members of criminal gangs.</p>
<p>In a metro area of over 7 million people, there were twenty-five <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Robbery" target="_blank">robberies</a> involving guns in the first four months of 1947. (Hansard. London. May 8, 1947 (2)). The gangs of London would grow and expand as the city slowly returned to normal following the end of the Second World War in 1945.</p>
<p>The Billy Hill mob, the Krays and Richardsons and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/british-boss-terry-adams" target="_blank">Adams</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-london-crime-boss-bekir-the-duke-arif" target="_blank">Arifs</a>, thieving and extorting, murdering each other and those around them. Along with the scrawny packs of illiterate tearaways like the one prowling the streets of North Soho on a gray, spring day long before <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-boys-from-bethnal-green-how-the-infamous-kray-twins-ruled-the" target="_blank">Ronnie and Reggie Kray</a> and their peers would come to haunt the streets.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-boys-from-bethnal-green-how-the-infamous-kray-twins-ruled-the" target="_blank"><strong>The Boys from Bethnal Green</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>It began that afternoon, just after two, when three men attempted to rob Jay’s the Jewelers near the corner of Charlotte Street and Tottenham Street. A second-hand precious metal dealer and pawnbroker. It looked an easy nut to crack but turned out anything but.</p>
<p>They stopped their stolen black 14 Vauxhall car in front of the shop, adjusted their hats and face masks, and checked their guns. One carried a.455 English Bulldog revolver, and another a.320 revolver. Hand guns were easy to buy from dodgy dealers in London’s West End, especially in Ham Yard, off Great Windmill street, a veritable kasbah for the up-coming criminal on the prowl for a piece. The third, the driver, dropped his gun in the street after their abortive raid. He was also the youngest. A mere seventeen-year-old. As events would proceed, his youth was everything he had going for him on this day.</p>
<p>The men who stormed into the small, grubby-looking building were:</p>
<p>Charles Henry Jenkins, 23 years old, a lighter-man (small barge operator) from Bermondsey,</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237162664,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237162664?profile=original" /></a><em>Photo: Charles Jenkins</em></p>
<p>Christopher James Geraghty, 20, a laborer from Finsbury</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237163280,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237163280?profile=original" /></a> <em>Photo: Christopher Geraghty</em></p>
<p>and the youngest, 17 year-old Terence John Rolt, a warehouse man, also from Bermondsey.</p>
<p>Jenkins and Geraghty both had previous form and had served time either in prison or Borstal (young offenders detention.) (3)</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237163289,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237163289?profile=original" /></a>Shouting and brandishing their guns, one of the gang went to grab a tray of rings and was blocked by one of the staff, who he slashed with his pistol. The owner, 70-year-old Betram Keats, slammed the safe shut and another staff member threw a stool at the gunmen, as one of them fired a wild shot. Keats then set off the shop alarm. People started to gather at the street corner and the robbers decided retreat was the only option. Now farce turns to tragedy.</p>
<p>Scrambling into their car, they discover it is blocked by a truck that had arrived and parked in front of the Vauxhall. Unable to flee the scene, they abandon the vehicle and head east on foot, down Tottenham Street. Two of them try to hi-jack a taxi, and even though one is armed, the driver, Albert Grub, dislodges them. George Grimshaw, a surveyor is passing the store and tries to intervene. Luckily for him, he only gets punched and kicked to the ground as the thugs scuttle away.</p>
<p>Racing down the street in their direction is a man riding a big, red, Indian motor-bike. He wears a leather jerking, goggles and gauntlets. A knight riding in to rescue. He’s finished his jobs for the day and is heading home.</p>
<p>As he reaches the corner of Charlotte Street, he slides his bike into the men, trying to slow or stop them. One of the thieves, shoots him once at point-blank range, tumbling the rider into the gutter, dropped like a bundle of laundry on its way to the cleaners, as the thieves scramble off towards Whitfield Street, before heading towards a building at 191 Tottenham Court Road a few hundred yards away.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-untouchables-how-britain-s-top-gangsters-rich-off-armed-robbe" target="_blank">The Untouchables</a>: How Britain’s top gangsters got rich off armed robberies and smuggling tons of drugs</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>For some reason, one of the men will leave something here. For the police, it will break the case.</p>
<p>Back outside Jay’s the Jewelers the crowds gather and soon the police arrive and the area is swarming with Bobbies in their blue uniforms and custodian helmets. (4)</p>
<p>People rush to help the man sprawled in the gutter. It’s claimed he died of a gun-shot wound to the head. To the chest. He died in the street. Two hours later in Middlesex General Hospital, only minutes from the scene of the shooting, in the ambulance on the way.</p>
<p>The facts and truth are getting confused so often in this story. People seem hungry to consume lies. Perhaps innuendo and gossip have been triggered by so many years of tight war-time censorship. The autopsy on di Antiquis, performed by the famous pathologist, Sir Bernard Spilsbury, did in fact confirm that Alec had been shot in the head, the bullet falling out as the doctor probed the wound.</p>
<p>The Bulldog revolver is later found, along with the murder weapon on the mud flats of the River Thames by schoolboys fossicking for river treasures.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/exclusive-the-art-of-smuggling-by-britain-s-first-drug-baron" target="_blank"><strong>‘The Art of Smuggling’ by Britain’s first drug baron</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Firearm expert, Robert Churchill, the country's foremost authority in investigation and courtroom testimony, proves the.32 revolver is the gun used by the shooter.</p>
<p>The police interview twenty-seven witness. Take statements. No one actually saw a face, so we have, long raincoats, flat caps, scarves around faces. Variable heights and weights. No forensics, no prints, no nothing. Leading the investigation is Superintendent Robert Fabian, who will become a legend in his lifetime, his career and exploits triggering a famous movie and long-running police television show.</p>
<p>Brook House becomes the catalyst for the investigation. The office block a few minutes from the crime scene is the key to unlocking the mystery of the de Antquis murder. Just why two of the suspects stopped here is hard to know. Without police or court records, none of which are on-line, it’s a mystery.</p>
<p>Solving this case hinged on the information supplied by a cab driver, who had been carrying a fare along Tottenham Court Road moments after the murder when a man jumped on the running board, wearing what looked like a bandage round his jaw. The man was pushed off by the driver and vanished into an office block called Brook House. This incident may have somehow morphed from the one reported just after the shooting in Charlotte Street. Someone once said truth evolves over time. Multiple sources often present the same incident in different way.</p>
<p>Three days passed before this news came to the police, and when they searched the building, they found the key to the getaway car, a raincoat and other outer clothing, plus a scarf which had obviously been used as a mask. As it turned out, there was a numbered maker’s ticket, 7800, sewn in the raincoat, which led to a manufacturer in Leeds and then to Montague Burton Limited, a retail outlet in Bermondsey, South London, which recorded the sale to a George Vernon.</p>
<p>Whoever bought the raincoat needed wartime clothing coupons, as rationing was still in force in England. The buyer’s name hit the spot with Fabian, because he knew of someone called George Vernon, a known-criminal, who had a young and violent relative, recently released from Borstal. The cousin was Charles Henry Jenkins and Vernon said he had purchased the coat and loaned it to Jenkins, who had been released a week before the raid on Jay’s.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: Profile of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-of-british-drug-boss-robert-the-voice-dawes-he-was-prepar" target="_blank">British drug boss Robert “The Voice” Dawes</a> - “He was prepared to use extreme levels of violence”</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Jenkins wasn’t picked out at an identity parade held on May 10 at Tottenham Court Road police station, and had to be released, but his loose tongue generated remarks about the raincoat before the police had even mentioned it. He claimed he had himself loaned it to a man called William Henry Walsh, who’d been involved in a previous robbery with Jenkins and his accomplices, another jeweler, in Bayswater, about two miles to the west of Charlotte Street.</p>
<p>Walsh admitted the earlier offense but had no intention of going down for murder and he named the other members of the gang: they were Christopher James Geraghty and Terence Peter Rolt. (5)</p>
<p>Geraghty under questioning admitted shooting de Antquis, claiming he had not meant to kill him, only frighten him. And then it was all over.</p>
<p>On May 19, the three men were remanded for trial at the Central Criminal Court, better known as the Old Bailey, which began on July 21 and lasted a week. After less than an hour, the jury found all men guilty of the murder of Alec di Antiquis and sentenced them to death under the law. Rolt is too young, so is to be held in His Majesty’s Pleasure, a quaint euphemism for time in the nick. He served nine years before his release in 1956.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237163492,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237163492?profile=original" /></a>The circle turns full wheel when the two other men end their day standing side by side in the execution wing of Pentonville Prison in North London. Friday, 19 September, Albert Pierrepoint (right), executioner extraordinaire, leads them from their cells at nine in the morning, and with the help of two assistants, Harry Allen and Harry Critchell, has them dead within minutes. His fastest solo hanging on record was seven seconds.</p>
<p>Britain’s hangman’s second job was running a tavern in Preston, in the north of England, which had a sign behind the bar declaring, “No hanging around.”</p>
<p>The tragic story of Alec de Antiquis is now lost in the pages of history. Although there was great public protest at the hanging of his killers, the true victim in this story was an ordinary man who decided to do an extraordinary thing and sacrificed his life in the process.</p>
<p>George Orwell, the famous author saw developing in England a new casual approach to murder, victim meeting killer purely by chance, with no depth of feeling in it. It was in post-war Britain becoming the norm, rather than the exception.</p>
<p>In our modern world of gratuitous, self-entitlement, it’s hard to conceive there once were people, like Alec, who performed acts of immense courage without hesitation in order to help strangers in peril. His family would live out a lifetime without his love and support that would be sorely needed in the long years that stretched ahead.</p>
<p>The gangs of London would keep growing like a huge, noxious weed. The National Crime Agency (the British government-controlled agency, that leads the UK’s fight to cut serious and organized crime, protecting the public by targeting and pursuing those criminals who pose the greatest risk to the UK,) estimates there are in excess of 200 criminal cartels in the greater London area. </p>
<p><em>(1) Ancestry.com</em></p>
<p><em>(2) Hansard is the traditional name of the transcripts of Parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth Countries.</em></p>
<p><em>(3) In an almost implausible prequel to this senseless killing of an innocent victim, in December, 1944, Captain Ralph Binney of the Royal Navy, attempted to stop a similar robbery taking place in Birchin Lane in the City of London and was killed for his efforts. The passenger in the stolen getaway car was Thomas Jenkins, brother of Charles. He was serving time in prison for this crime (eight years penal servitude) when Alec de Antiques died for his efforts. It was also suspected, but never proved, that Charles Jenkins was also in the car that night. This group and the killers of de Antiquis, may well have been part of the same Bermondsey mob, known as “The Elephant Boys.”</em></p>
<p><em>One of the complex, interlocking gangs of London, the “Boys” had historical links to the other forty or so criminal groups across the city, many of which emerged as early as the Victorian period of 1850-1900.</em></p>
<p><em>(4) London and eventually all British police became known as “Bobbies” after Sir Robert Peel who headed the London Metropolitan police when they formed in 1829.</em></p>
<p><em>(5) Some accounts claim a similar story line but refer to a Thomas Kemp who was a brother-in-law to the Jenkins brothers. He was not a known criminal.</em></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/thom-l-jones-mob-corner" target="_blank">Thom L. Jones' Mob Corner</a> or the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/europe-overview">European organized crime section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out our <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/gangsters-inc-on-social-media">social media channels</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/about-gangsters-inc">About Gangsters Inc.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Thom L. Jones & Gangsters Inc.</strong></p></div>
Stoned to Death - Profile of Jamaican crime boss Wayne “Sandokhan” Smith
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/stoned-to-death-profile-of-jamaican-crime-boss-wayne-sandokhan-sm
2020-04-13T12:34:42.000Z
2020-04-13T12:34:42.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/stoned-to-death-profile-of-jamaican-crime-boss-wayne-sandokhan-sm" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237138487,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237138487?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p>By David Amoruso for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>A Jamaican street legend. That’s who Wayne “Sandokhan” Smith was. He will forever be known as the man who – after police treated his girlfriend harshly - attacked a police station, killed three officers, stole their guns, and got away – if only temporarily.</p>
<p>Born in 1962, Smith grew up in poverty in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Kingston" target="_blank">Kingston</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Jamaica" target="_blank">Jamaica</a>. The island offered little opportunity for the majority of its inhabitants, who had to make do with what they had. For those who had nothing, it meant turning to a life of violence and crime to get by and put food on the table. It was their only way out.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>From Jamaica to New York and Kansas City</strong></span></p>
<p>School definitely wasn’t, for Smith (photo below) at least. He left and got involved in crime. His first arrest occurred in 1979, for <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Robbery" target="_blank">robbery</a>. Within a few years, he had become the “Don” of a posse bearing his nickname that ruled the Kingston neighborhoods of Olympic Gardens, Waterhouse, Callaloo Bed, and Riverton City, and even had established branches in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=NY" target="_blank">New York City</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Kansas" target="_blank">Kansas City</a> in the United States.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-jamaican-shower-posse-a-family-business" target="_blank">The Jamaican Shower Posse</a>: A Family Business by Dudus Coke</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237138882,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237138882?profile=original" /></a>Smith’s posse smuggled drugs (<a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Marijuana" target="_blank">marijuana</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Cocaine" target="_blank">cocaine</a>) into the United States and had his men traffic money and guns back home. If a war broke out on either side of the ocean, the posse would go to war with its rivals on both sides simultaneously. The Jamaicans took their gangster reputation extremely seriously and would die defending it.</p>
<p>No wonder then, that a man of Smith’s (photo right) stature was wanted by police on several shootings and various other offences. He managed to evade capture, however, hiding out in his heavily guarded neighborhood where police would have to come in heavily armed and ready for war if they would want to arrest him.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Diss my girl and I’ll burn down a police station</strong></span></p>
<p>Then, in November 1986, tension erupted in an explosion of violence and death. Accounts vary, but one thing is certain: in their pursuit of Smith, police officers had mistreated or disrespected Smith’s girlfriend. Upon hearing about this, Smith vowed revenge. The police officers involved were from the Olympic Gardens station so that is where he targeted his murderous rage.</p>
<p>He got together several trusted posse members, devised a plan and began tooling up - making several Molotov cocktails and grabbing M-16 rifles. Around 1:00 a.m. on November 19, the group led by Smith attacked the Olympic Gardens Police Station, a structure comprised of two floors with the upper floor housing the bedrooms for personnel and the ground floor the guardroom, armory, and jail.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/fbi-arrests-jamaican-gangster-sought-for-4-murders-day-after-it-p" target="_blank">FBI arrests Jamaican gangster</a> sought for 4 murders day after it placed him on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Sergeant Ezra Cummings, Constable Raymond Thomas and District Constable Archibald Robinson were caught completely by surprise. Burning Molotov cocktails flew through the air and engulfed the station in flames as Smith and his posse fired their automatic weapons at the officers. The three aforementioned policemen were murdered in cold blood. The posse looted the armory and made off with an unknown number of weapons, including more M-16s.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Manhunt</strong></span></p>
<p>One officer had managed to hide and alert his colleagues. By then Smith and his crew were nowhere to be seen.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/sandokhan--jungle-justice-for-a-ruthless-killer_11944365---double" target="_blank">attack shocked the nation</a> and every cop in Jamaica had his eyes on this case. Investigators soon discovered a big lead: one of the Molotov cocktails had failed to explode and a fingerprint was lifted from it pointing straight to a man named Kenneth Whorms.</p>
<p>Police found him at a house in Waterhouse in Kingston where they shot and killed him. Inside the house, they found several of the stolen weapons, including one of the missing M-16s.</p>
<p>The next man linked to the case, Nicholas Henry, was caught in Waterhouse as well. More of the weapons were recovered and Henry was eager to share details with investigators in return for his life.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/top-5-drug-lords-killed-while-on-the-run" target="_blank"><strong>Top 5 drug lords killed while on the run</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>After he told them all about the attack and killing of the three police officers, he pointed to Smith as the man who masterminded everything. Henry’s story was corroborated when police raided one of Smith’s safehouses. Inside they found the plan of attack on the police station. But they had just missed the big man himself.</p>
<p>Smith realized there was no way he could remain in Jamaica and booked a flight out of the country. He was at the airport in Montego Bay when his escape plan was thwarted by an immigration officer who discovered his travel documents were false.</p>
<p>Caught and standing in front of police, he allegedly confessed to the murders, saying: “The police [disrespected] my girlfriend and so I decided to retaliate.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Trials and prison breaks</strong></span></p>
<p>Smith was charged with <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Murder" target="_blank">murder</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Arson" target="_blank">arson</a>, and robbery. It looked like the game was over for Smith. He was at a courthouse jail awaiting his trial on September 17, 1987. Then, out of nowhere, he escaped.</p>
<p>Exactly how this happened remains somewhat of a mystery. Smith says a man came and opened his cell door, telling him he was free to go. But once Smith arrived back at his old haunts, his friends and family convinced him that he should turn himself back in. They told him he was being set up by police, who would swoop in with an execution squad and take him out. Smith went to his lawyer and turned himself in.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drug-kingpin-freeway-rick-ross-moving-tons-of-cocaine-with-a-nod" target="_blank">Drug kingpin “Freeway” Rick Ross</a>: Moving tons of cocaine with a nod of approval from the Reagan White House</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>After a short trial, on March 17, 1988, Smith was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to death.</p>
<p>Authorities weren’t done with him just yet, though. They also charged him with the murder of Eddie Curniffe, who was killed in October 1986 in the midst of a gang war. Again, the verdict was guilty and the sentence death.</p>
<p>Sitting on death row, facing a certain ending, Smith tried every trick in the book and pulled off another prison break on June 15. By now, he was the most wanted man in Jamaica and his behavior came to reflect it. Several weeks after his escape he got in a shootout with police. He was wounded but got away again.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Murder spree</strong></span></p>
<p>Ten days later, he shot and killed Moses “Bredda” Bent in Riverton City. Four days after that, on July 31, Smith and several members of his posse took 16-year-old Robert Wynter from his house and accused him of being a snitch. They tied the young teenager to a car and literally stoned him to death.</p>
<p>Smith was spinning out of control, living from hour to hour, getting more violent with each passing day. He remained the Don, but was making life hell for every gangster operating in the area, especially members of his own posse. Police constantly raided neighborhoods and came down hard on everyone in their hunt for “Sandokhan”.</p>
<p>Enough was enough, someone decided. The big “Bad Man” needed to go. On September 8, 1988, Smith’s bullet-riddled corpse was found lying in the bushes. The bullets were fired by one of the M-16s stolen in the attack on the Olympic Gardens Police Station.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime">Black organized crime</a> section on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Mafia boss Al Capone wishes his rivals a happy Valentine's Day
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/mafia-boss-al-capone-wishes-his-rivals-a-happy-valentine-s-day
2020-02-14T06:40:00.000Z
2020-02-14T06:40:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/mafia-boss-al-capone-wishes-his-rivals-a-happy-valentine-s-day" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237133671,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237133671?profile=original" /></a>By David Amoruso for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>On Valentine’s Day most people are thinking about their loved ones. Husbands browse the stores in search for that one gift to tell the wife how much they love her, while youngsters arrange to meet up at the park for a romantic walk and a kiss. And then there’s <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-chicago-outfit-overview">Chicago Mafia</a> boss <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Capone" target="_blank">Al Capone</a>.</p>
<p>Though Capone undoubtedly arranged for something romantic for his wife or one of his mistresses, his main business of that day was giving the gift of death to his arch rival <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/chicago-boss-george-bugs-moran">George “Bugs” Moran</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/al-capone-s-beer-wars-chicago-s-prohibition-era-gangland-laid-bar" target="_blank">Al Capone’s Beer Wars</a>: Chicago’s Prohibition-era gangland laid bare by mob historian John Binder in new book</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>The two mob bosses had been duking it out since 1926 when Moran became the leader of the North Side Gang after Capone had his predecessor “Hymie” Weiss killed. The Chicago Mafia had been hunting for members of the North Side Gang after the gang’s leader had crossed their boss <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Torrio" target="_blank">Johnny Torrio</a>. And they had a lot of success too! But each time the gang replaced its dead leader with a new one who was just as ferocious in keeping the war going.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237043876,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237043876?profile=original" /></a>Capone had had enough. If he wanted to end the war he had to take out not just Moran but several of his key confidants as well. On February 14, 1929, St. Valentine’s Day, he found the opportunity he was waiting for.</p>
<p>Throughout the war between the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Mafia" target="_blank">Mafia</a> and the North Side Gang, Moran had acquired a taste for Capone’s booze. He would send out his troops to hijack trucks filled with that illicit product or steal it in other ways. The Capone gang knew what its enemy wanted. They had their bait.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/untouchable-little-jimmy-profile-of-chicago-mafia-boss-james-marc" target="_blank">Untouchable "Little Jimmy"</a> - Profile of Chicago Mafia boss James Marcello</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Capone delegated the task of murdering Moran to “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn, real name Vincenzo Gibaldi, while he himself arranged for his alibi by going to <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Florida" target="_blank">Florida</a>. Using a front man, McGurn offered Moran a load of stolen Capone booze. The man was told he would need to deliver a sample at a garage at 2122 North Clark Street so the gang could check the quality.</p>
<p>As Capone’s men were stationed near the garage they kept an eye out on who arrived. After six men had entered the garage there was still no sign of Moran. Perhaps it was impatience, perhaps it was the adrenaline, whatever it was when a seventh man went into the garage the lookouts were certain “Bugs” Moran had joined the group. They were wrong. But by that point they had already passed on the message and the hit was on.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-hook-life-and-bloody-crimes-of-feared-chicago-mafia-enforcer" target="_blank">The Hook</a>: Life and bloody crimes of feared Chicago Mafia enforcer Harry Aleman</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>With seven members of one of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Chicago" target="_blank">Chicago</a>’s most violent <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Gangs" target="_blank">gangs</a> in one place Capone’s men took no chances. They had disguised a black rental car as a police car by placing a siren on top and four hit men were dressed as officers of the law. They were counting on their trustworthy uniforms to give them the edge against a bunch of trigger-happy stone cold killers.</p>
<p><a href="http://amzn.to/1nGSc2k" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237059681,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237059681?profile=original" width="273" /></a>When they made their entrance Moran’s men must’ve been perplexed. Cops were usually paid off and if they weren’t then who snitched on this transaction? Before they could point any fingers however, Capone’s men lined them up and completely obliterated them with bullets. “Some seventy rounds were fired with machine guns, and once the victims were motionless, some of them received pointblank shotgun blasts to their faces. Each victim received dozens of wounds, methodically spread throughout each body. The carnage was so brutal that some copses were said to have been nearly severed at the waist,” author Gus Russo wrote in <a href="http://amzn.to/1nGSc2k" target="_blank">The Outfit</a>.</p>
<p>After the bloody hit, Moran went into hiding and his gang slowly disappeared from the scene. He later told police, “Only the Capone gang kills like that.”</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>This story was featured in: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/cops-make-the-deadliest-mafia-hit-men">Cops make the best killers</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-chicago-outfit-overview">Chicago Outfit section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out our <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/gangsters-inc-on-social-media">social media channels</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/about-gangsters-inc">About Gangsters Inc.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
“Corey Hamlet is as smart as any CEO we’ve prosecuted” – Profile of Grape Street Crips leader Corey Hamlet
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/corey-hamlet-is-as-smart-as-any-ceo-we-ve-prosecuted-profile-of-g
2018-09-23T17:47:04.000Z
2018-09-23T17:47:04.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/corey-hamlet-is-as-smart-as-any-ceo-we-ve-prosecuted-profile-of-g" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237115075,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237115075?profile=original" width="600" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Newark gang boss Corey Hamlet went by many nicknames. “Blizzie”, “C-Blaze” or simply “Blaze”. But it’s the name “Castor Troy” that sticks out when reading his indictment. The character portrayed by Nicholas Cage in the 1997 movie Face/Off was a criminal mastermind who reigned by engulfing the world around him in violence and death. As such, the nickname fitted Hamlet perfectly.</p>
<p>Born on the gritty streets of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Newark" target="_blank">Newark</a>, New Jersey, Hamlet grew up in the Hayes Home projects until the age of 11 when he moved to Hyatt Court to live with his grandmother until she passed away, before moving to Prince Street with his mother.</p>
<p>As a teenager, Hamlet shined on the football field. At 6’1” and over 200 pounds he was an athletic powerhouse. His athletic achievements earned him a scholarship at Lackawanna College, but he was kicked out after a year.</p>
<p>He then spent his days smoking <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Marijuana" target="_blank">weed</a> and joking around with his friends on the streets of Newark. Pretty soon he fell in with the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crips" target="_blank">Crips gang</a>. “I ain’t really had no sense of direction,” he testified in court about those days. “I ain’t really know like what my next phase or next step in life was, and I just gravitated towards it. Before I looked up, I was kind of like caught up in it.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237114877,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237114877?profile=original" width="600" /></a><em>Hamlet pictured second from left</em></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Becoming a CEO of the underworld</strong></span></p>
<p>Not just that, he excelled at it. His physical appearance combined with his charisma and brains made him a perfect leader. If he messed up, he quickly learned to adapt and get better. When he was sent to state prison on a drug charge, he became more cautious than before.</p>
<p>“He was very, very careful,” assistant U.S. attorney Osmar J. Benvenuto told <a href="https://www.nj.com/crime/index.ssf/2018/08/guns_murder_and_instagram_insi_1.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a>. “He was a ghost.” The paper added: “There was nothing on his phone to link him to the Grape Street Crips heroin trade. No texts sending out marching orders to gang members. No burner phones, nothing on paper, no code words.”</p>
<p>Still, it was pretty clear what he was all about. Tattoos covered his body from his fingers up to his neck, most of them references to the gang life he lived every day. “100% Grape Street” was inked on his back. “Feared By Many, Hated By Most, Loved By Few, and Respected By All,” on his chest.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drug-kingpin-freeway-rick-ross-moving-tons-of-cocaine-with-a-nod" target="_blank">Drug kingpin "Freeway" Rick Ross</a>:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drug-kingpin-freeway-rick-ross-moving-tons-of-cocaine-with-a-nod" target="_blank"><strong>Moving tons of coke with approval from the White House</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Entering his late 30s, Hamlet was still there. Every day. Walking up and down the block. Flaunting his wealth without a fear in the world. He owned Newark. And people knew it. The youngsters respected him as the O.G., the original gangster, they feared him like anyone fears an old man who’s active in a world where most men die young.</p>
<p>As leader of the Grape Street Crips, one of Newark’s largest and most violent <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Gangs" target="_blank">gangs</a>, Hamlet commanded an army of eager men and boys willing to execute any order he gave. His organization controlled a large portion of the illegal drug trade in Newark, moving multiple kilograms of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Heroin" target="_blank">heroin</a> a week for almost two decades. The drug money was laundered through restaurants and retail businesses.</p>
<p>“People think street gang members are not as smart as white-collar criminals. But Corey Hamlet is as smart as any CEO we’ve prosecuted,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito told <a href="https://www.nj.com/crime/index.ssf/2018/08/guns_murder_and_instagram_insi_1.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a>.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Murder galore</strong></span></p>
<p>Besides the narcotics, the Grape Street Crips also engaged in numerous acts of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Murder" target="_blank">murder</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Robbery" target="_blank">robbery</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Extortion" target="_blank">extortion</a> throughout the city. All of it at the behest of Hamlet, the group’s longtime leader. He was a man who was serious about the gang life. In order to maintain an edge on his rivals he ordered several murders – both outside and within the Grape Street Crips, it wasn’t smart to threaten his position as boss.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/united-blood-nation-godfather-says-he-is-part-of-the-last-ones-th" target="_blank">United Blood Nation Godfather</a> says he is "<a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/united-blood-nation-godfather-says-he-is-part-of-the-last-ones-th" target="_blank">part of the last ones that God put in power</a>"</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>The murders, in turn, attracted the attention of law enforcement. In November of 2016, Hamlet and 14 members and associates of the Grape Street Crips were charged in a 22-count indictment alleging the gang committed seven murders, numerous attempted murders, and numerous other violent and drug trafficking crimes committed as part of the racketeering conspiracy.</p>
<p>At Hamlet’s trial these brutal acts were highlighted by prosecutors:</p>
<ul>
<li>June 14, 2010: The murder of Leroy Simmons</li>
<li>Dec. 23, 2010: The murder of Rodney Kearney</li>
<li>Oct. 10, 2011: The attempted murders of eight individuals who were caught in the cross-fire when Hamlet’s second-in-command Kwasi Mack, aka “Welchs,” and another Grape Street Crips member attempted to murder a gang member who they suspected had cooperated with law enforcement</li>
<li>May 3, 2013: The murder of Tariq Johnson</li>
<li>Oct. 27, 2013: The attempted murders of Almalik Anderson and Saidah Goines</li>
<li>Nov. 12, 2013: The murder of Anwar West</li>
<li>March 3, 2014: The murders of Wesley Child and Velma Cuttino—an innocent bystander—as well as the attempted murder of Maurice Green</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Instagram Gang Boss</strong></span></p>
<p>The trial revealed that Hamlet ordered many of the murders as revenge against Almalik Anderson, a rival with whom he had a long-running dispute. One of Hamlet’s fellow gang-members attempted to broker a truce with Anderson at the Short Hills Mall. After the meeting there, Hamlet used his <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Instagram" target="_blank">Instagram</a> account with over 12,000 followers to assert that Anderson had cooperated with law enforcement.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237115868,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237115868?profile=original" width="600" /></a>“I just put it on Instagram,” Hamlet himself later testified in court. “Social media has a lot of benefits. Social media has a way to get people to understand like maybe a mood you were in or what you, like, see where you at the moment, you might be in the park, it might got nice scenery, whatever the case may be, or even promote events. But I used it on that day to show that you trying to come at me when, all actuality, you the rat.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Painting the town red</strong></span></p>
<p>On Hamlet’s orders, four gang members then hunted Anderson down and sprayed his Porsche Panamera with bullets at a busy intersection in Newark, nearly killing him and passenger Saidah Goines, a relative.</p>
<p>Within two weeks, Hamlet successfully ordered two other gang members to murder Anwar West, the fellow gang member who had attempted to broker peace between Hamlet and Anderson. On Hamlet’s orders, co-defendant Rashan Washington left West alone inside a Jeep Cherokee knowing that another gang member intended to walk up and shoot West in the head.</p>
<p>Hamlet then ordered the murder of Maurice Green, Anderson’s brother. On March 3, 2014, Manley and Hamlet, the long-time leader of the New Jersey Grape Street Crips, were riding in Manley’s Jeep Cherokee when they pulled alongside a car being driven by Green. Although Hamlet aimed a firearm at Green and the car’s other occupants, Green pulled off before any shots were fired.</p>
<p>A short time later, Ahmad Manley found Green, and a car chase ensued. The chase concluded when Green’s car crashed into other vehicles at the intersection of Irvine Turner Boulevard and Spruce Street in Newark. Numerous shots fired from Manley’s Jeep Cherokee at Green’s vehicle struck Green and killed Wesley Childs, a passenger in Green’s car. In addition, Velma Cuttino – an innocent bystander who was a passenger in one of the vehicles that had crashed at the intersection – was shot through the head and killed.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>“I never shot nobody”</strong></span></p>
<p>“I never shot nobody,” Hamlet declared at his trial. “You can check my criminal history. I never been locked up, I don't have no violence on my jacket. I have no violence on my criminal history.”</p>
<p>At first, the jury seemed to be on his side. His first case ended in a mistrial, but in July of 2018, after a two-month trial, a jury found Hamlet guilty of racketeering, several murders and shootings, and drug crimes.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-shook-up-the-world-how-muhammad-ali-took-the-heavyweight-boxing" target="_blank"><strong>How Muhammad Ali took the heavyweight title from the Mafia</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Twelve of the 14 defendants charged in the indictment have now been convicted. An additional 68 members and associates of the Grape Street Crips who were arrested in a coordinated takedown in May 2015 were separately charged with <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">drug trafficking</a>, physical assaults, and witness intimidation. 66 individuals also have been convicted, and charges remain pending against two.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Life</strong></span></p>
<p>On September 19, 2018, 41-year-old Corey “Castor Troy” Hamlet was sentenced to two concurrent terms of life in prison for his role in six murders, an attempted murder, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses as part of a racketeering conspiracy involving the New Jersey Grape Street Crips.</p>
<p>“The sentencing of Corey Hamlet closes the chapter on one of Newark’s most violent offenders,” Special Agent in Charge Valerie Nickerson said. “The residents of Newark can be confident that the men and women of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=DEA" target="_blank">DEA</a> and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue those who choose to violate the rule of law. Every citizen has the right to live without fear, and the conviction and sentencing of Corey Hamlet helps to make that possible.”</p>
<p>The fight is far from over, however, Hamlet’s lawyer Anthony Iacullo plans an appeal and told <a href="https://www.nj.com/crime/index.ssf/2018/08/guns_murder_and_instagram_insi_1.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a>: “Our position was Corey is not responsible for any of these murders. There is no leader as they portray of the Grape Street Crips. It’s not one entity. It’s an affiliation of people from different neighborhoods. It’s a bunch of guys from different neighborhoods who did their own things.”</p>
<p>Though this could very well be true, it does sound very familiar to “There is no <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Mafia" target="_blank">Mafia</a>,” a line used by members of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=LCN" target="_blank">La Cosa Nostra</a> for several decades until it turned into a running gag among mobsters, cops, and the public.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime">Black organized crime</a> section on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out our <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/gangsters-inc-on-social-media">social media channels</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/about-gangsters-inc">About Gangsters Inc.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Frank Smith, a hitman of the Coney Island-based Rival Impact gang, gunned down rivals in war with Thirty-O Crew
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/frank-smith-a-hitman-of-the-coney-island-based-rival-impact-gang
2018-06-05T06:30:00.000Z
2018-06-05T06:30:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/frank-smith-a-hitman-of-the-coney-island-based-rival-impact-gang" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237111665,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237111665?profile=original" width="550" /></a>By David Amoruso for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>They called him “Fresh.” But chances were that after a meeting with him, you were anything but and more likely rotting away in a shallow grave. As a hitman for the Rival Impact street gang, Frank Smith was a cold-blooded killing machine on the streets of New York.</p>
<p>The gang life was all Smith knew. He’s been a member of Rival Impact since 2000 and would remain one until they locked him up. The Rival Impact <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs">gang</a> was based at the Mermaid Houses in Coney Island. For more than a decade, the gang engaged in heroin and crack distribution and violence, including murders, attempted murders, robberies and assaults. </p>
<p>Its members had been at war for some time with members of Thirty-O, a <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs">street gang</a> based in and around the Coney Island Houses. After Rival Impact gang member Vincent Carmona was slain by Thirty-O crew members, Smith plotted killing members of Thirty-O, specifically Terrance Serrano and Rashawn Washington, whom he believed shot Carmona. </p>
<p>On October 4, 2010, Smith and a Rival Impact gang member drove to East 19th Street in Manhattan where they found a parked car belonging to Serrano and Washington. After Serrano and Washington approached and entered the car, Smith ran to the car and opened fire, killing both men sitting inside.</p>
<p>On June 4, 2018, following a three-week trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Smith on charges of racketeering and two counts each of murder-in-aid-of racketeering and causing a death through the use of a firearm. When sentenced, Smith faces two mandatory terms of life imprisonment for the murders of Terrance Serrano and Rashawn Washington.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>UPDATE</strong></span>: On Monday, September 27, 2021, 36-year-old Smith was sentenced to two mandatory life sentences plus an additional 20 years’ imprisonment for racketeering, including predicate acts of murder conspiracy and narcotics offenses, as well as two counts of murder-in-aid-of racketeering for the murder of rival gang members Terrance Serrano and Rashawn Washington. He was convicted by a jury in June 2018 following a three-week trial.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out our <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/gangsters-inc-on-social-media">social media channels</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/about-gangsters-inc">About Gangsters Inc.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p></div>
The Big Hen: Regional enforcer of Gangster Disciples gets 30 years in prison for decades-long crime career
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-big-hen-regional-enforcer-of-gangster-disciples-gets-30-years
2018-03-24T10:00:00.000Z
2018-03-24T10:00:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-big-hen-regional-enforcer-of-gangster-disciples-gets-30-years" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237102663,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237102663?profile=original" width="364" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>A high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Thursday for racketeering conspiracy. 37-year-old Henry Cooper went by the nickname “Big Hen” and functioned as the organization’s enforcer, making sure all other gang members toed the line and followed the rules.</p>
<p>Cooper became a Gangster Disciple in 1992 and remained one up until the time of his arrest in 2016. The <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=GD" target="_blank">Gangster Disciples</a> is a highly organized national gang active in more than 24 states. The group protects its power through deadly violence and its own members and associates are subject to a strict code of discipline and are routinely fined, beaten, and even murdered for failing to follow the gang’s rules. Enforcers within the enterprise ensure that members who violate the rules are punished.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-governor-of-tennessee-gangster-disciples-boss-byron-montrail" target="_blank">The Governor of Tennessee</a>: Gangster Disciples boss Byron Purdy ruled state's underworld</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Among those enforcers was Cooper, who served as the Regional Enforcer for the State of Tennessee. As such, he was responsible for enforcement in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Tennessee" target="_blank">Tennessee</a> and six other states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Wisconsin. </p>
<p>One of his responsibilities was to pass along information from the Chief Enforcer for the Gangster Disciples to enforcers in these states. Cooper also oversaw the enforcement of punishments, supervised the criminal activities of other members, issued orders to commit violent offenses against rivals and subordinates, and presided over Gangster Disciple meetings where criminal activity was discussed.</p>
<p>Of course, when the time came to get his own hands dirty, Cooper was willing and able. He participated directly in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Murder" target="_blank">murder</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Kidnapping" target="_blank">kidnapping</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Assault" target="_blank">assault</a>, witness intimidation, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">narcotics distribution</a>, and weapons trafficking. </p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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United Blood Nation Godfather says he is part of “the last ones that God put in power”
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/united-blood-nation-godfather-says-he-is-part-of-the-last-ones-th
2018-03-15T15:30:00.000Z
2018-03-15T15:30:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/united-blood-nation-godfather-says-he-is-part-of-the-last-ones-th" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237093886,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237093886?profile=original" width="604" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Omari Rosero might have been locked up in a New York State prison, his power still flowed through the cement walls to the outside world. As a Godfather in the United Blood Nation gang he was considered the highest authority in the nationwide organization.</p>
<p>It was a long climb for 41-year-old Rosero. Starting out as a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, a subset of the United Blood Nation, he paid his dues and devoted his entire life to the gang. He went from a “Scrap” to become a “5-Star General” on to a “Low” then a “High” until he eventually rose to the very top: Godfather of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Bloods" target="_blank">United Blood Nation</a> (UBN).</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Gang Rules</strong></span></p>
<p>As Godfather, he led what once started out as a prison gang in 1993 and now was a violent criminal organization operating throughout the east coast of the United States and counting thousands of members. The group is governed by a common set of 31 rules, known as “The 31,” which were originally written by the founders of the UBN. </p>
<p>Members are expected to conduct themselves and their illegal activity according to rules and regulations set by their leaders. Prominent among these is a requirement to pay monthly dues to the organization, often in the amounts of $31 or $93. A percentage of these funds are transferred to incarcerated UBN leadership in New York, among them Rosero; these funds also are used locally to conduct gang business. Gang dues are derived from illegal activity such as <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">drug trafficking</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Robbery" target="_blank">robberies</a>, wire fraud, and bank fraud, among other forms of illegal racketeering activities.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black Organized Crime</a>: From <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drug-boss-leroy-nicky-barnes" target="_blank">Nicky Barnes</a> and Frank Lucas to <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/supreme-gangster-giant-towers-over-queens-rap" target="_blank">"Supreme" McGriff</a> and the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Bloods" target="_blank">Bloods</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crips" target="_blank">Crips</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>UBN members often wear clothing with the color red and share common tattoos or burn marks to show their affiliation. Tattoos include a three-circle pattern, usually burned onto the upper arm, known as a “dog paw”; the acronym “M.O.B.,” which stands for “Member of Bloods”; the words “damu,” or “eastside”; the number five; the five-pointed star; and the five-pointed crown. </p>
<p>Members have distinct hand signs and written codes, which are used to identify other members and rival gang members. For example, the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Bloods" target="_blank">Nine Trey Gangster</a> set of the UBN refer to themselves as “<a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/two-united-blood-nation-gangsters-sent-to-federal-prison-on-drug" target="_blank">Billies</a>.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Federal Target</strong></span></p>
<p>Running such a well-oiled and violent organization tends to attract some heat. Not just from your rivals in the underworld. If you become big enough the law will take notice. Chief among them the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=FBI" target="_blank">FBI</a>.</p>
<p>In May of 2017, federal agents <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/83-bosses-and-members-of-united-blood-nation-indicted" target="_blank">hit 83 alleged leaders and members</a> of the UBN with federal racketeering conspiracy and charges related to murder, attempted murder, violent assault, narcotics distribution, firearms possession and Hobbs Act robbery. Some were also charged with white-collar offenses like bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to financial crimes.</p>
<p>The indictment showed the government took the threat the UBN posed seriously. These weren’t just simple gang bangers fighting over corners. This was an organized criminal group which ran sophisticated schemes and was highly structured with enough muscle to back up threats of violence with the real thing.</p>
<p>“When my office indicted 83 Bloods gang members and senior leaders, the goal was to deliver a major blow to this organized criminal enterprise responsible for raging turf wars, rampant drug distribution and bloody gang violence,” U.S. Attorney R. Andrew Murray told reporters.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Guilty Pleas</strong></span></p>
<p>Confronted with the government’s full judicial power, on March 12, 2018, Rosero and 34 other UBN bosses, members, and associates pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and related charges in North Carolina, including drug trafficking, wire fraud, firearm possession, and the use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and drug trafficking.</p>
<p>“The assaults, the robberies, the drug deals, each and every crime committed by these ruthless gang members was a blow to the safety of our communities,” said John Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Charlotte" target="_blank">Charlotte</a>. “The guilty pleas by these suspects are the next step in securing justice for every innocent person who was impacted by the violent actions of these gangs members.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237094469,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237094469?profile=original" width="471" /></a><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The Godfather speaks</strong></span></p>
<p>Rosero (photo above), who goes by the nickname “Uno B,” pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. He admitted to holding the leadership rank of “High,” and to serving as an acting “Godfather” of the entire UBN gang. </p>
<p>In a recorded jail call, Rosero admitted to being, together with Pedro “Magoo” Gutierrez and James “Frank White” Baxton, “the last ones that God put in power” over the UBN. He conducted gang business and participated in the distribution of gang dues while incarcerated in the New York State Department of Corrections.</p>
<p>In order to communicate with the outside, he used 35-year-old Porsha Talina Rosero, nicknamed “Lady Uno B” for obvious reasons. She maintained a Facebook account through which private messages were sent from Rosero to other Bloods leaders. She pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and admitted participating in the distribution of gang dues and a phone call during which Rosero stated that a suspected cooperator would be “faded straight up.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Fallen Bosses</strong></span></p>
<p>In addition to Omari and Porsha Rosero, seven other defendants with high-ranking leadership positions have previously pleaded guilty in this investigation:</p>
<ul>
<li>Montraya Antwain Atkinson, aka Hardbody, 31, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. According to the factual basis of his plea agreement, Atkinson admitted to holding the leadership rank of “High,” and admitted to possessing <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Marijuana" target="_blank">marijuana</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Cocaine" target="_blank">cocaine</a> with intent to distribute, and to purchasing and selling powder cocaine;</li>
<li>Adrian Nayron Coker, aka Gotti, 28, of Gastonia, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and three counts of possession with intent to distribute narcotics. According to the factual basis of his plea agreement, Coker admitted to holding the leadership rank of “Low,” and to possessing a stolen firearm and ammunition, despite having previously been convicted of a felony. Moreover, according to a court-approved wiretap, Coker was recorded discussing a potential murder of a rival gang member;</li>
<li>Quincy Delone Haynes, aka Black Montana, 39, of Lawndale, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and three counts of trafficking cocaine. According to the factual basis of this plea agreement, Haynes admitted to holding the leadership rank of “Low”;</li>
<li>Barrington Audley Lattibeaudiere, aka Bandana and Bobby Seale, 31, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the factual basis of his plea agreement, Lattibeaudiere admitted to holding the leadership rank of “High,” and coordinating the transmission of hundreds of dollars of UBN gang dues to Gutierrez and Baxton. Lattibeaudiere further admitted to participating in a scheme to make and attempt to make over $64,000 in purchases using fraudulent credit and gift cards;</li>
<li>Bianca Kiashie Harrison, aka Lady Gunz, 28, of Midway Park, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. According to the factual basis of Harrison’s plea agreement, Harrison admitted to holding the leadership rank of “High,” and to participating, at facilities within the New York Department of Corrections, in gang leadership meetings with alleged UBN Godfathers Gutierrez and Baxton;</li>
<li>MyQuan Lamar Nelson, aka Dripz, 27, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and heroin trafficking, and according to the factual basis of his plea agreement admitted to holding the leadership rank of “Low”; and</li>
<li>Tywlain Wilson, aka 5 Alive, 25, of Shelby, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and firearm possession in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to the factual basis of his plea agreement, Wilson admitted to holding the leadership rank of “Low.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
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Gang hijacked trucks in Fast & Furious style
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/gang-hijacked-trucks-in-fast-furious-style
2018-03-03T10:00:00.000Z
2018-03-03T10:00:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/gang-hijacked-trucks-in-fast-furious-style" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237099669,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237099669?profile=original" width="564" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>A gang of truck hijackers roamed through Europe in search of lucrative cargo. Once they found a juicy target they went all out to get their loot. Using tactics straight from the blockbuster <em>Fast and the Furious</em> movies, the gangsters carried out their crime while the truck was speeding over the highway.</p>
<p>They were a well-oiled machine, prosecutors say. Five Romanian men ranging in age from 33 to 43 worked together like Swiss clockwork. They’d better, since their job could end up maiming or killing them or their victims in horrific ways.</p>
<p>Their job? Hijacking trucks. In July of 2017, using a specially prepared car the men drove right behind a truck speeding across the highway between the cities of Venlo and Venray in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Netherlands" target="_blank">the Netherlands</a> at almost 100 kilometers per hour, around 60 miles per hour. Two hijackers then exited from the roof of the car and climbed towards the hood which contained a slip-resistant surface.</p>
<p>From here, one of the men used a grinder to open the truck’s door. After that they pulled out the cargo and moved it to their car. Again, as they were speeding over the highway. Other gang members would drive around the crew to keep other drivers and traffic at a distance.</p>
<p><strong>The video below shows their Fast & Furious style tactics at another highway in Europe years earlier:</strong></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GCWNAJftXlg?wmode=opaque" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p>In this instance, they made off with 960 brand new iPhones worth an estimated half a million euros. After they got their booty, they sped off to safety. They laid low at a vacation resort in the Dutch town of Otterlo. They stashed their iPhones in a van in front of their cabin, their tricked-out car was nearby as well.</p>
<p>We know this because several days after the action-packed hijacking, police received a tip and arrested the five men at this location. They also found several grinders, the same kind used in hijackings across <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Europe" target="_blank">Europe</a>. </p>
<p>On Friday, Dutch prosecutors plead their case, asking the judge to sentence the five men to 18 months in prison. Only three of them were in court. In November of 2017, a Dutch judge allowed the men released while awaiting their trial. As a result, two of them did not show up in court on Friday.</p>
<p>Their lawyers claim there is no evidence against the crew of alleged hijackers, saying there are no fingerprints and investigators found no DNA to link them to the robbery. All they might be guilty of, they say, is perhaps fencing stolen goods.</p>
<p>If found guilty, the men should perhaps consider a different career. With skills such as theirs working as stuntmen at a legit <em>Fast and Furious</em> filmset is within reach. All they need to do is open that door and keep on grinding.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/europe-overview">European organized crime section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Crips and Bloods hit by major law enforcement offensive in Little Rock, Arkansas
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/crips-and-bloods-hit-by-major-law-enforcement-offensive-in-little
2018-02-23T20:30:00.000Z
2018-02-23T20:30:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/crips-and-bloods-hit-by-major-law-enforcement-offensive-in-little" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237097094,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237097094?profile=original" width="600" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Multiple members of the Bloods and Crips street gangs are among the dozens of individuals arrested early Thursday morning in a major law enforcement operation targeting violent criminals in central Arkansas. The takedown highlights the coordinated work of federal, state, and local agencies to combat drug and gun crime in Little Rock.</p>
<p>Cody Hiland, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Stephen G. Azzam, Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (<a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=DEA" target="_blank">DEA</a>), announced the arrests, as well the unsealing of thirteen indictments and two complaints charging 49 individuals with dozens of federal gun and drug trafficking crimes.</p>
<p>Agents also executed 11 search warrants, which resulted in the seizure of 21 illegally possessed <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Gun" target="_blank">guns</a>, body armor, 9.6 pounds of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Cocaine" target="_blank">cocaine</a>, 4 ounces of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Meth" target="_blank">methamphetamine</a>, 7.2 ounces of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crack" target="_blank">crack cocaine</a> 12 ounces of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Marijuana" target="_blank">marijuana</a>, 5 grams of heroin, 293 ecstasy pills, and 93 pint bottles of promethazine cough syrup. Furthermore, they seized approximately $50,000 in drug proceeds, 4 cars, and 1 motorcycle.</p>
<p>“A team of over 250 agents and officers from law enforcement agencies across our state came together this morning to begin the process of dismantling <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">violent gangs</a> and removing dangerous people from the streets, with the goal of making our community a safer place,” Hiland said. “These agents also took drugs and violent people off the street today—people we believe endanger the lives of law-abiding citizens and endanger the future of our children with their toxic influence. Today’s operation is a victory over gang, gun, and drug violence, but is just the start of what the combined resources of these law enforcement agencies can do.”</p>
<p>“These arrests should serve as a warning and send a clear message—we will relentlessly pursue these violent criminals and drug traffickers plaguing our communities and bring them to justice,” Special Agent in Charge Azzam said. “Our neighborhoods deserve to exist without fear and intimidation inflicted by <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">violent drug gangs</a>.”</p>
<p>The DEA served as lead agency while working in conjunction with GET (Gang Enforcement Task Force) Rock during the operation. GET Rock is comprised of nine central Arkansas law enforcement agencies—the U.S. Attorney’s office, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=FBI" target="_blank">FBI</a>, DEA, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (<a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=ATF" target="_blank">ATF</a>), U.S. Marshal’s Service, Little Rock Police Department (LRPD), Pulaski County Sherriff’s Office (PCSO), Arkansas State Police (ASP), and Arkansas Community Correction.</p>
<p>It was formed at the request of Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson in response to the escalation in gang and gun violence in Little Rock, highlighted by the July 1, 2017, mass shooting at the Power Ultra Lounge in Little Rock that injured 28 people.</p>
<p>This mass shooting was precipitated by the rivalry between Real Hustlers Incorporated (RHI), a local <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Bloods" target="_blank">Bloods</a>-affiliated gang, and the Wolfe Street Crips, a local <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crips" target="_blank">Crips</a>-affiliated gang in Little Rock. Police identified various RHI members as having participated in the Power Ultra Lounge shooting, and in subsequent retaliatory shootings involving Dewquan Johns, James Langford, Rodney Scott, Damien Young, and Edmond Blue (all of whom are indicted as part of this operation), among several others.</p>
<p>In 2017, law enforcement identified Clifton Thomas and Marvin Collins as founders of the Real Hustlers Incorporated. The gang, known to frequent the area of Monroe and Brown Streets in Little Rock, started as the Monroe Street Hustlers and changed its name to RHI due to mounting and unwanted attention from the LRPD. RHI, which promotes itself as an organization for rap artists, utilizes 5108 31st Street in Little Rock as a music studio, and as a location for distribution of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone, and other controlled substances.</p>
<p>The DEA, using court-authorized wiretaps of various phones, identified gang members and the drug and gun crimes the gang was committing. Charges in the Thomas indictment include conspiracies to distribute cocaine, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Heroin" target="_blank">heroin</a>, and marijuana, felon in possession of firearms, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Included among the defendants is Bilal Johns Muhammad, identified as a long-time leader in RHI, and formerly the Monroe Street Hustlers. Two of Bilal Johns Muhammad’s sons—Bilal Sean Muhammad and Kain Jordan—were also indicted in the case.</p>
<p>The DEA and GET Rock also identified another 18 defendants as part of a drug trafficking organization headed by Robert Turpin III. The investigation revealed that Turpin was distributing ounce quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, as well as thousands of oxycodone and alprazolam (<a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Xanax" target="_blank">Xanax</a>) pills in the central Arkansas area. Turpin was found to be importing pharmaceutical drugs from India for illicit distribution, and during the course of the conspiracy more than 150,000 pills were obtained and distributed.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the Turpin organization was responsible for the transportation and distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, pharmaceutical controlled substances and money to and from Texas, Massachusetts, and North Carolina using personal and commercial vehicles, the United States Postal Service and FedEx. This organization also trafficked in firearms and has engaged in firearm-related violence in the Little Rock area. Law enforcement agents carried out the operation that resulted in the arrests of 15 of the 18 indicted members of the Turpin organization on February 14, 2018.</p>
<p>Also arrested Thursday morning was Chris Alexander, a member of the Wolfe Street Crips and purported community activist who has promoted anti-gang and violence programs in Little Rock in the past. Alexander, along with fellow gang member Kenya Davis, who is still a fugitive, was indicted on marijuana conspiracy and distribution charges. Alexander was also charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
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Gangster Disciple who held repo men at gunpoint as he took his car back sentenced to over 17 years in prison
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/gangster-disciple-who-held-repo-men-at-gunpoint-as-he-took-his-ca
2018-02-17T18:00:02.000Z
2018-02-17T18:00:02.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/gangster-disciple-who-held-repo-men-at-gunpoint-as-he-took-his-ca" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237099085,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237099085?profile=original" width="545" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Perhaps that is why the public has a love for outlaws and gangsters who stick it to the man. Are you being sucked dry by banks and credit card companies? Are repo men hounding you? Gangster Disciples member Marvin Meux knows the feeling, and he was having none of it.</p>
<p>When repo men, also known as repossession employees, were attempting to hook up Meux’s car on October 21, 2015 in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Memphis" target="_blank">West Memphis</a>, Meux, himself a known gang member with several convictions for <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">drugs</a> and violence, did something plenty of honest, hardworking, law abiding citizens thought about doing: He said “Fuck this.”</p>
<p>He jumped into the driver’s seat and drove off in the vehicle with one of the employees still in the passenger seat. After fleeing a short distance, Meux drove back to his residence. One of the repo men exited the vehicle, as he did so he saw Meux running towards him with a small black gun.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-governor-of-tennessee-gangster-disciples-boss-byron-montrail" target="_blank">The Governor of Tennessee</a>: Gangster Disciple boss Byron Purdy</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Shocked and in utter terror, the two repo men forgot about repossessing the car and quickly got into their truck. They drove off while Meux pointed his gun at them, making certain they left. Of course, one might hate their deeds, these repo men were just doing their job. Can't fault them for that.</p>
<p>West Memphis police officers were dispatched to the area shortly thereafter, arresting Meux and searching his residence. There, they found an SKS assault rifle and a .38 caliber revolver. Meux was immediately identified as a member of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=GD" target="_blank">Gangster Disciples</a> in West Memphis.</p>
<p>Faced with two witnesses and overwhelming evidence, the hot-headed Meux pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Because of his previous convictions, the Judge threw the book at the 45-year-old Gangster Disciple on Thursday, sentencing him to 17 and a half years in federal prison.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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<p> </p></div>
The Governor of Tennessee: Gangster Disciples boss Byron Montrail Purdy ruled state’s underworld
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-governor-of-tennessee-gangster-disciples-boss-byron-montrail
2018-01-26T07:30:00.000Z
2018-01-26T07:30:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-governor-of-tennessee-gangster-disciples-boss-byron-montrail" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237097081,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237097081?profile=original" width="540" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>In the underworld of Tennessee, Byron Montrail Purdy’s reign was unquestioned. He ruled the state as a governor. Not the political kind, mind you. His power went beyond the rule of law. As a governor in the Gangster Disciples, Purdy coordinated racketeering activity and gangland killings in his territory with fellow leaders around the country.</p>
<p>Founded in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Chicago" target="_blank">Chicago</a> in the 1960s, the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=GD" target="_blank">Gangster Disciples</a> have grown into a highly organized national crime syndicate operating in more than 24 states. The group protects its power through threats, intimidation, and violence, including murder, assault, and obstruction of justice.</p>
<p>Members and associates of the gang are subject to a strict code of discipline and are routinely fined, beaten, and even murdered for failing to follow the rules. Taking a page out of the book written by Italian Mafia groups like <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=CosaNostra" target="_blank">Cosa Nostra</a> and the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Camorra" target="_blank">Camorra</a>, the Gangster Disciples also provide financial and other support to members doing time for gang-related offenses or those who are fugitives from law enforcement.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-rockford-s-black-gangster-disciples-boss-karl-fort" target="_blank">Profile of Rockford Gangster Disciples boss Karl Fort</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>38-year-old Byron Montrail Purdy, known on the streets of Jackson, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Tennessee" target="_blank">Tennessee</a>, by his nicknames “Lil B” or “Ghetto,” was the highest-ranking Gangster Disciple within the State of Tennessee, holding the title of governor. He had earned his rank, having been a loyal and integral part of the group for over two decades.</p>
<p>As governor, Purdy manages gang activities within Tennessee and is responsible for coordinating much of the criminal activity that occurs within the state. He did this in cooperation with other Gangster Disciples bosses throughout the United States, supervising the criminal activities of the gang, issuing orders to kill rivals and disobedient subordinates, and presiding over gang meetings.</p>
<p>A typical workday saw Purdy direct his underlings to carry out a wide variety of criminal activities. They handled largescale drug distribution – <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Cocaine" target="_blank">cocaine</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Heroin" target="_blank">heroin</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Marijuana" target="_blank">marijuana</a>, you name it, they sold it, weapons trafficking, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Robbery" target="_blank">robbery</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Kidnapping" target="_blank">kidnapping</a>, assault, and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Murder" target="_blank">murder</a>. The life of a gangster isn’t pretty, but it brings in plenty of cash. One should call it hazard pay, though, since the risk of getting whacked or imprisoned is always there and only increases as time passes by.</p>
<p>It was no different for Purdy. On Friday, January 19, 2018, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-shook-up-the-world-how-muhammad-ali-took-the-heavyweight-boxing" target="_blank">How Muhammad Ali took the heavyweight boxing title from Mafia</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>“[This] sentence of 30 years for Byron Purdy’s gang activity should send a serious warning to gang members of all factions in Jackson, Memphis and throughout West Tennessee that their continued reign of terror through actions of violence, intimidation, and all manner of firearms and narcotics trafficking will eventually come to an end,” Captain Phillip Kemper of the Jackson Police Department’s Special Operations Division said.</p>
<p>He continued: “This investigation of Purdy included crimes involving racketeering activity, which spanned two and half decades. Byron Purdy, who was the head of the Gangster Disciples enterprise for the State of Tennessee will now spend the majority of his adult life in Federal Prison. Gang life only leads to two places: the grave, or prison for an extended period of time.”</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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VIDEO: Up close and personal as VICE films initiation of Crips gang member in Brooklyn
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/video-up-close-and-personal-as-vice-films-initiation-of-crips-gan
2017-11-18T13:30:00.000Z
2017-11-18T13:30:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/video-up-close-and-personal-as-vice-films-initiation-of-crips-gan" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237103879,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237103879?profile=original" width="570" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Becoming a gang member isn’t easy. And most gangsters are forced into the gang life because of poverty and a troublesome situation at home. They take to the streets to find a new family and find it in the older guys wearing colors that identify them as part of something bigger.</p>
<p>VICE followed JT, a youngster trying to become a member of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crips" target="_blank">Crips</a> in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Brooklyn" target="_blank">Brooklyn</a>. The film crew finds out what it took for the wannabe gangster to get this far and why he’s willing to become an official Crip.</p>
<p><strong>Watch the documentary below:</strong></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H0iSh9A7rLI?wmode=opaque" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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Baltimore Black Guerilla Family gangster pleads guilty to murder of witness
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/baltimore-black-guerilla-family-gangster-pleads-guilty-to-murder
2017-11-08T18:00:00.000Z
2017-11-08T18:00:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/baltimore-black-guerilla-family-gangster-pleads-guilty-to-murder" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237097255,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237097255?profile=original" width="600" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>A member of Baltimore’s Black Guerilla Family (BGF) pleaded guilty on Tuesday to murdering a witness to prevent him from testifying against a fellow gang member in a pending state case. 25-year-old Wesley Jamal Brown also admitted he was a part of the Black Guerilla Family’s Greenmount Avenue Regime, formerly known as the Young Guerilla Family. </p>
<p>Brown kept himself busy between 2005 and his arrest in September 2017. Together with his fellow gang members, he dealt <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">drugs</a> and protected the group’s interests with deadly force. In his plea agreement, he admits that on April 26, 2013, he sold <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Cocaine" target="_blank">cocaine</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Heroin" target="_blank">heroin</a> and that on June 20, 2013, he possessed 51 grams of heroin and a quantity of cocaine that he planned to sell.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/baltimore-a-gangster-history" target="_blank">Baltimore: A Gangster History</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Brown further admitted that on or about May 2, 2013, in the 600 block of Cokesbury Avenue, he shot and killed Moses Malone with a .22 caliber handgun. In the weeks before his death, Malone had been the victim of a <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Robbery" target="_blank">robbery</a> and shooting committed by a member of the BGF Greenmount Regime. </p>
<p>On April 19, 2013, Malone identified the BGF member who robbed and shot him during an interview with Baltimore Police officers. Brown admitted that he shot and killed Malone to prevent him from testifying against his fellow BGF member in the pending state case.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: Profile of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/baltimore-drug-boss-maurice" target="_blank">Baltimore drug boss Maurice "Peanut" King</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>According to his plea agreement, Brown further admitted that in the days following Malone’s murder, he requested assistance from another BGF member in disposing of the .22 caliber handgun that he had used to kill Malone. He told the other BGF member that the handgun was “dirty” because he had used it to shoot a witness who had implicated a member of the BGF Greenmount Regime in a crime. On May 12, 2013, he exchanged text messages with a BGF associate, in which he agreed to sell the .22 caliber handgun that he had used to kill Malone for $250.</p>
<p>Brown’s sentencing is scheduled for February 5, 2018. He faces between 30 to 35 years in prison.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Frank Cullotta, the Las Vegas hitman made famous by Scorsese’s Casino, comes to Mob Museum for book signing
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/frank-cullotta-the-las-vegas-hitman-made-famous-by-scorsese-s-cas
2017-10-20T13:01:00.000Z
2017-10-20T13:01:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/frank-cullotta-the-las-vegas-hitman-made-famous-by-scorsese-s-cas" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237100093,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237100093?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Former Mafia hitman Frank Cullotta has written a new book and will be out and about doing some heavy promoting. Known as a member of infamous <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/chicago-soldier-anthony-the" target="_blank">Chicago mobster Anthony Spilotro</a>’s <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Vegas" target="_blank">Las Vegas</a> crew, Cullotta eventually became a turncoat and said farewell to his life of crime. His latest book is titled <em>The Rise and Fall of a “Casino” Mobster: The Tony Spilotro Story Through a Hitman’s Eyes</em> and promises plenty of gore.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Listen: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/video/talented-bitches-radio-interview-with-frank-cullotta" target="_blank">Frank Cullotta lengthy podcast interview</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>The book details the life story of Spilotro from the eyes of Cullotta, who was his childhood friend. Spilotro was sent to Las Vegas in 1971 by the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-chicago-outfit-overview" target="_blank">Chicago Outfit</a> to assemble a crew of thieves. He turned to Cullotta to lead the ring, which came to be known as the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/tony-spilotro-and-his-hole-in" target="_blank">Hole in the Wall Gang</a>.</p>
<p>Spilotro’s life has been told before, most notably in the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-truth-behind-movie-classic-casino" target="_blank">1995 movie Casino</a>, but no one can tell it like his long-time ally Cullotta, who writes about Spilotro’s rise up the ladder to become an Outfit boss, the many murders linked to the mobster and his subsequent fall from power and murder at the hands of the Outfit.</p>
<p>Cullotta will sign copies of his latest book at <a href="https://themobmuseum.org/" target="_blank">The Mob Museum</a> in Las Vegas on Saturday, November 18, from 13:00 till 16:00 p.m.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-chicago-outfit-overview">Chicago Outfit section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Profile: British drug boss Patrick “Badger” Maloney
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/profile-british-drug-boss-patrick-badger-maloney
2017-07-15T09:09:12.000Z
2017-07-15T09:09:12.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-british-drug-boss-patrick-badger-maloney" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237087687,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237087687?profile=original" width="298" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>It’s always nice to see the older generation pass on its wisdom to the youngsters out there. Except when that wisdom pertains to trafficking drugs. Yet that’s exactly what 62-year-old Patrick Maloney did, running a crew of young dealers that bragged to clients they could deliver drugs anywhere “within 30 minutes of central London and within an hour anywhere else.”</p>
<p>Maloney managed a gang of younger drug dealers and directed them where to deliver the product, using modified mopeds with ‘knowledge’ boards to mimic trainee taxi drivers. He was also in charge of the weekly cash payments and paying the drug runners their wages.</p>
<p>Known by his nickname “Badger,” Maloney had quite the resume when it comes to peddling drugs. Labeled a career criminal by authorities, he served time in prison for his role in the importation of over four tons of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Marijuana" target="_blank">cannabis</a>.</p>
<p>“The knowledge and experience he provided helped the group distribute more than 40 kilos of cocaine, with an estimated wholesale value of £1.4 million, across London over a period of three weeks in February 2016,” Spencer Barnett from the Organised Crime Partnership told media when discussing Maloney’s role.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/gangs-of-britain" target="_blank">Gangs of Britain</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>“He enforced discipline and directed members to go to elaborate lengths to stay under the radar of law enforcement, using safe houses, throw-away mobile phones and mopeds to try and avoid detection,” Barnett added.</p>
<p>Despite this, Maloney apparently failed to teach his young students the importance of keeping a low profile. To promote their narcotics home delivery business, the gang sent out a text message to over 400 potential clients – mind the word potential here – in which they claimed that they could deliver anywhere “within 30mins central <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=London" target="_blank">London</a> and within an hour anywhere else.”</p>
<p>Operating like that the cops won’t need long to find your ass and lock you up. In March of 2016, Maloney and his 34-year-old son Joseph along with eleven others were arrested in a series of raids after police had conducted surveillance on the group.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: Profile of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/british-boss-brian-wright" target="_blank">British drug boss Brian "The Milkman" Wright</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>They seized over £164,600 cash, more than 10 kilos of class A drugs, 14 kilos of cutting agent, over 100 mobile phones and six mopeds during the raids. Analysis of mobile devices provided officers with information that the group was planning to import 70 kilos of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Cocaine" target="_blank">cocaine</a> from Ecuador to <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Spain" target="_blank">Spain</a>, for onwards distribution across the United Kingdom.</p>
<p>“Badger” Maloney’s street classes in drug trafficking had come to an early end. Not to worry though, for those interested, Maloney now dispenses his wisdom behind bars. He was sentenced on Thursday, July 13, to seven years in prison. His son Joseph received 15 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/europe-overview">European organized crime section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Eight Trey Crips gang leader charged with murder in crowded Brooklyn nightclub
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/eight-trey-crips-gang-leader-charged-with-murder-in-crowded-brook
2017-06-14T11:37:53.000Z
2017-06-14T11:37:53.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/eight-trey-crips-gang-leader-charged-with-murder-in-crowded-brook" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237083492,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237083492?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>A leader of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crips" target="_blank">Eight Trey Crips</a> gang in New York was charged with murder in-aid-of racketeering on Monday. 37-year-old Larry Pagett, photo above, also known as “Biz,” “Biz Loc,” and “Molotovbizzz” faces life in prison if convicted.</p>
<p>The murder Pagett is charged with has been caught on surveillance video. On August 28, 2015, a man can be seen entering the Buda Hookah Lounge in the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens section of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Brooklyn" target="_blank">Brooklyn</a>. The place was crowded, with people enjoying themselves.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/how-guards-go-on-assaulting-inmates-without-consequences" target="_blank">How prison guards keep assaulting inmates without consequences</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Then the man pulls out a gun and shoots alleged <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Folk Nation</a> gangster Chrispine “Droppa” Philip several times in the back of the head as the victim tries to run away.</p>
<p>With “Droppa” Philip “dropped” for good, the hitman got his ass out of there, climbing over several other bar patrons who were lying on the ground in terror.</p>
<p>Prosecutors claim it was Pagett who fired the shots. “As alleged, the defendant in this case shot and killed a rival gang member to elevate his status in the Eight Trey Crips,” stated NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill. “The deadly shooting happened inside of a crowded lounge, injuring several others in the shooting, and several more with the panic that ensued.”</p>
<p>“Gang members have shown they will do whatever necessary to maintain their control over their turf and retaliate against those who they see as a threat,” stated Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney. “The violence these gangs spread impacts people every day, so we will continue to go after the leadership who use murder and violence to threaten our communities.”</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Brooklyn Bloods gang enforcer remains loyal to his boss and gets 30 years in prison for drug trafficking
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/brooklyn-bloods-gang-enforcer-remains-loyal-to-his-boss-and-gets
2017-06-02T13:30:00.000Z
2017-06-02T13:30:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/brooklyn-bloods-gang-enforcer-remains-loyal-to-his-boss-and-gets" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237089865,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237089865?profile=original" width="315" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Shondell “M-Dot” Walker, a member of the Brooklyn-based Murderous Maddawg Bloods, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday for narcotics trafficking and his role as an enforcer for Bloods gang leader <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/bloods-gang-leader-charged-with-three-murders" target="_blank">Ronald “Ra Diggs” Herron</a>. The 31-year-old gangster (photo above) had pled guilty pursuant to a plea agreement on October 6, 2011, to conspiring to distribute narcotics.</p>
<p>During Herron’s trial, Walker was called as a defense witness and testified falsely on Herron’s behalf. He testified that Herron had served as a positive role model in the Gowanus and Wyckoff Gardens communities, that he had never seen Herron sell narcotics, and that he had never worked, sold drugs, or carried a firearm on Herron’s behalf. Walker’s claims were substantially undermined by the admission into evidence of a letter he had written from prison in which he stated that he intended to remain loyal to Herron because of their membership in the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Bloods" target="_blank">Bloods</a>.</p>
<p>Bloods leader Herron was convicted after trial and has already been sentenced to multiple life terms consecutive to 105 years in prison. He had done little, beforehand, to evade the eyes of law enforcement as he posted videos of himself on the Internet in which he identified himself as the leader of the Murderous Mad Dogs set of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Bloods" target="_blank">Bloods gang</a>, and claimed that he headed a “murder team.”</p>
<p>The videos also showed Herron firing weapons and threatening to use them to kill people. He also posted messages on Twitter in which he boasted that he had “beat the stabbing,” “beat the attempt,” and “beat the body.”</p>
<p>Herron and Walker’s convictions followed dozens of successful prosecutions over the past decade conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, along with the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=FBI" target="_blank">FBI</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=NYPD" target="_blank">NYPD</a>, of violent gang members and drug dealers from the Gowanus and Wyckoff Gardens housing developments.</p>
<p>“This case proves the lengths gang members will go to protect their own,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney. “The subject will spend the bulk of his life in federal prison all because he felt allegiance to a deadly and criminal gang. The work of our FBI New York Metro Safe Streets Task Force and our law enforcement partners is vital to stopping the spread of criminal enterprises like these gangs, and we won’t back off until these gangs no longer exist.”</p>
<ul>
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Black P-Stones lieutenant gets 30 years in prison for racketeering and murder
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-p-stones-lieutenant-gets-30-years-in-prison-for-racketeerin
2017-04-22T14:10:20.000Z
2017-04-22T14:10:20.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/black-p-stones-lieutenant-gets-30-years-in-prison-for-racketeerin" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237094883,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237094883?profile=original" width="180" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Desmond Finnell, a lieutenant in the Black P-Stones gang in Newport News, Virginia, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy and murder on Thursday. 30-year-old Finnell had already pleaded guilty in November of 2016.</p>
<p>For several years, Finnell was one of several violent members of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black P-Stones</a> crew led by Michael Hopson. The gang was into drug dealing, robberies, and various other violent schemes. Finnell was responsible for multiple shootings in Newport News and Hampton as part of his <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Black P-Stones gang</a> activity.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/1-gang-boss-dead-2-agents-shot-as-fbi-busts-black-p-stone-nation" target="_blank">1 gang boss dead, 2 agents shot, as FBI busts Black P-Stone Nation</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>As is customary in organized crime, things are never personal, just business. This was also the case for Finnell.</p>
<p>When he had a falling out with a friend about a missing batch of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Marijuana" target="_blank">marijuana</a>, Finnell decided there was no use in sitting down and having a drink and talk with his pal. Believing his friend, Ernest “Critter” Crudup, had robbed him of around 20 pounds of marijuana, on November 28, 2010, he lured him to a location in Newport News where he shot him to death.</p>
<p>Whoever said drug business was easy money, needs to check the numbers. While the price of bricks remains high and stable, the price of life is going down faster than the Titanic.</p>
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President Obama reduces Gangster Disciples boss' sentence
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/president-obama-gives-gangster-disciples-leader-a-sentence-reduct
2017-01-19T16:00:00.000Z
2017-01-19T16:00:00.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/president-obama-gives-gangster-disciples-leader-a-sentence-reduct"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237081881,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237081881?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Eric “Fat Eric” Wilson, a former leader in the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=GD">Gangster Disciples</a>, was given a sentence reduction by President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Wilson (photo above, left) was serving a life sentence for drug trafficking, but that has been reduced to 35 years, which means he’ll be eligible for release in 7 years.</p>
<p>The former gang boss can thank U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush for sending a letter to Obama in which he wrote that Wilson deserved a break in his sentence because of his “extraordinary rehabilitative efforts,” the <a href="http://chicago.suntimes.com" target="_blank">Chicago Sun Times</a> reported. “Wilson earned a 4.0 grade average in college in prison while working in the prison steel factory as a skilled welder,” Rush wrote, adding that he did not believe Wilson would’ve gotten the same life sentence had he been subjected to current laws.</p>
<p>As a “governor” in the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime">Gangster Disciples organization</a>, Wilson reported directly to supreme leader Larry Hoover and himself ruled over large areas of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Chicago">Chicago</a>, commanding hundreds of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/street-gangs">gang members</a>. In the late 1990s, Hoover, Wilson, and several others were busted and convicted of participating in a drug conspiracy. In 1998, Wilson was sentenced to life behind bars.</p>
<p>Not far from Chicago, in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Rockford">Rockford</a>, a leader of the Black Gangster Disciples also received a sentence reduction. <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-rockford-s-black-gangster-disciples-boss-karl-fort">Karl Fort’s life sentence was reduced</a> to 35 years as well. He’ll be out in 2019. Though no one can predict how both these men will behave once outside, they might play a role in the community, telling kids to stay away from the gang life and perhaps mediating between various groups currently at war with each other.</p>
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New Jersey Bloods gang boss pleads guilty to murder, racketeering charges
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/new-jersey-bloods-gang-boss-pleads-guilty-to-murder-racketeering
2016-12-14T23:30:00.000Z
2016-12-14T23:30:00.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/new-jersey-bloods-gang-boss-pleads-guilty-to-murder-racketeering"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237055852,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237055852?profile=original" width="500" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Rajohn “1090” Wilson, a leader of the Sex Money Murder set of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Bloods">Bloods street gang</a> in New Jersey Tuesday admitted his role in a racketeering conspiracy involving murder and heroin trafficking charges.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old is a younger brother of Narik “Spaz” Wilson, the leader or “O.G.” of the Sex Money Murder set of the Bloods gang. <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/violent-bloods-gang-leaders-admit-racketeering-murder-conspiracy">Narik Wilson pleaded guilty</a> to related charges last month and is looking at 30 years behind bars.</p>
<p>Rajohn served as a “five-star general” and admitted that from 2007 to 2011 he committed a series of violent crimes to expand the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Gangs">gang</a>’s power and influence in Essex County, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=NJ">New Jersey</a>. The violence Wilson and fellow gang members poured out onto the streets included several drive-by shootings. He also distributed over a kilogram of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Heroin">heroin</a>.</p>
<p>By pleading guilty, Wilson looks to be sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison, minus time served in jail on a related case, and five years of supervised release. His sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2017.</p>
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FBI arrests Jamaican gangster sought for 4 murders day after it placed him on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/fbi-arrests-jamaican-gangster-sought-for-4-murders-day-after-it-p
2016-12-03T09:27:50.000Z
2016-12-03T09:27:50.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/fbi-arrests-jamaican-gangster-sought-for-4-murders-day-after-it-p"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237089490,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237089490?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Just one day after the FBI placed Jamaican gangster Marlon Jones on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, he is in custody. He is charged with involvement in the shooting murder of four individuals in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Jones has a violent criminal history in the United States, where the FBI believes he is residing illegally. Authorities allege he is a member of an East Coast <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Jamaica">Jamaican organized crime</a> group involved in the illegal distribution of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Marijuana">marijuana</a>.</p>
<p>While attending a birthday party on October 15, 2016, Jones allegedly shot and killed a rival Jamaican gang member. The party was being held at a crowded home in the West Adams District of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=LA">Los Angeles</a> that had been temporarily converted into a restaurant.</p>
<p>According to detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Criminal Gangs Homicide Division, an exchange of gunfire took place between rival gang members, leaving four dead and ten others wounded. They believe Jones was deliberately sent to the party to settle a disagreement with the rival gang.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-jamaican-shower-posse-a-family-business">The Jamaican Shower Posse: A Family Business</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>On October 21, 2016, a local arrest warrant was obtained by the Los Angeles Police Department for Jones after he was charged with four counts of murder by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.</p>
<p>“The crimes allegedly committed by Marlon Jones are extremely violent, earning him a place on the FBI’s Top Ten list,” said Deirdre L. Fike, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The publicity the Top Ten list affords investigators cannot be overstated, as its continued success has shown. Our Fugitive Task Force is highly capable at finding dangerous fugitives and will use their expertise, coupled with the public’s assistance and a large reward offer, to locate and capture Marlon Jones.”</p>
<p>Indeed, they did. A $100,000 reward was enough incentive. Acting on a tip from the public, the FBI’s fugitive task force arrested Jones yesterday after a freeway pursuit.</p>
<p>His arrest brings to end a difficult search by <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=LAPD">LAPD</a> detectives investigating the case. They received information that Jones had been visiting from New York and staying with associates in Los Angeles, but were unable to locate him.</p>
<p>As an internationally operating gangster with ties to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, Tennessee, the Virgin Islands, and Jamaica, Jones had plenty of options for escape. Furthermore, he was very savvy by using multiple identities, all with different dates of birth between 1970 and 1981.</p>
<p>In the end, though, the heat that comes with being one of America’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives proved too much.</p>
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South L.A. Crips gangster cops to federal racketeering charges, admits armed robberies and drug dealing
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/south-l-a-crips-gangster-cops-to-federal-racketeering-charges-adm
2016-11-26T20:00:00.000Z
2016-11-26T20:00:00.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/south-l-a-crips-gangster-cops-to-federal-racketeering-charges-adm"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237081465,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237081465?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Call him a one-man crime wave. 35-year-old Akia Pete, known on the streets of Los Angeles as Studda Box, pleaded guilty on Friday to scores of crimes that could land him a 60-year prison sentence. A longtime member of the Five Deuce Broadway Gangster Crips, Pete admitted to trafficking in narcotics and participating in a series of armed robberies that targeted bank customers and small businesses.</p>
<p>His sentencing is scheduled for March 13.</p>
<p>As a member of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crips">Five Deuce Broadway Crips</a>, Pete was an integral part of the gang’s activities. He helped with controlling the group’s “territorial monopoly” in the crack cocaine business. Besides his work for the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crips">Crips</a>, he also was a member of the Baby Gremlins, a clique within the gang that was used as muscle.</p>
<p>Pete and other leading figures of the gang would “encourage younger members of the Baby Gremlins to engage in violence against rivals and insubordinate members.”</p>
<p>When Studda Box wasn’t out slanging dope or causing violence, he was out on a robbery spree. He was part of several crews that, “armed with firearms, tasers and zip ties, would follow victims home from banks and rob them of their cash,” in one case taking $10,000 in cash from a business owner.</p>
<p>Pete was one of 72 people named in a 112-count indictment targeting the Broadway Gangster Crips that was unsealed in 2014. The arrests were the result of Operation “Gremlin Riderz,” which was conducted by the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=FBI">FBI</a> and the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=LAPD">Los Angeles Police Department</a> under the auspices of the FBI’s Task Force on Violent Crime in the City of Los Angeles, which is one of several dozen Safe Streets Task Forces around the nation.</p>
<p>The Broadway Gangster Crips gang was formed in the 1970s and allegedly has grown into a violent criminal enterprise that conducts regular meetings, espouses a strict set of rules, and exacts punishments, including death, against those who cooperate with law enforcement.</p>
<p>In addition to committing crimes in its claimed territory east of the Harbor Freeway, the indictment alleges that the Broadway Gangster Crips sell drugs near the Skid Row section of downtown <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=LA">Los Angeles</a>. “This area is desirable to the gang because it is close to Skid Row, where there is a large and vulnerable customer base of drug addicts and mentally ill persons,” according to the indictment.</p>
<p>Seventy-one of the defendants named in the indictment have now appeared in federal court to face racketeering charges in the indictment, which include conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, a series of robberies that targeted bank customers, weapons offenses and various drug trafficking charges.</p>
<p>With Pete’s guilty pleas last week, over 40 defendants have now been convicted in the case, including the three lead defendants in the RICO case – Tyrine Martinez, Tracy Harris and Roosevelt Sumpter – each of whom pleaded guilty this past summer to federal charges. Earlier this month, Sumpter was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Martinez and Harris are scheduled to be sentenced on December 19, at which time both defendants will face potential life sentences and mandatory minimum prison terms of 15 and 10 years.</p>
<p>Three other top defendants in the case are scheduled to go on trial January 3. Other defendants are scheduled to go on trial on December 6 and April 5.</p>
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Violent Bloods gang leaders admit racketeering, murder conspiracy
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/violent-bloods-gang-leaders-admit-racketeering-murder-conspiracy
2016-11-03T06:23:36.000Z
2016-11-03T06:23:36.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/violent-bloods-gang-leaders-admit-racketeering-murder-conspiracy"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237076071,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237076071?profile=original" width="500" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Two leaders of the Sex Money Murder set of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Bloods">Bloods street gang</a> Tuesday admitted their roles in a racketeering conspiracy that involved murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and conspiracy to distribute heroin.</p>
<p>32-year-old Narik “Spaz” Wilson (photo above) and 27-year-old Emil “Diddy” Rutledge, both of Newark, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to Count Two of a 14-count superseding indictment charging them with racketeering conspiracy.</p>
<p>The plea agreements require both men to be sentenced to 30 years in prison, minus time served in jail on related cases, and five years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for February 15, 2017.</p>
<p>Wilson and Rutledge, high-ranking members in Sex Money Murder a subgroup of the Bloods street gang that operates primarily in Essex County, New Jersey, admitted to a series of violent crimes they committed between 2007 and 2011 to expand the group’s power and influence.</p>
<p>As the O.G. or leader of Sex Money Murder, Wilson admitted that he directed the murder and attempted murder of eight rival gang members in and around Newark. Rutledge, a “captain,” or “shot-caller,” of Sex Money Murder, admitted that he and others carried out a number of the shootings ordered by Wilson, causing series injuries to others and the death of a victim.</p>
<p>Wilson pleaded guilty to conspiring with and directing other members of Sex Money Murder to commit eight murders, one of which succeeded. Rutledge admitted that, acting at Wilson’s direction, he and others carried out drive-by shootings and also admitted that he and others killed one rival gangster in a drive-by shooting. Wilson and Rutledge admitted conspiring to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin in and around Newark.</p>
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West Coast Crips gang boss gets life for drug crimes
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/west-coast-crips-gang-boss-gets-life-for-drug-crimes
2016-07-27T21:30:00.000Z
2016-07-27T21:30:00.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/west-coast-crips-gang-boss-gets-life-for-drug-crimes"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237077456,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237077456?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crips">West Coast Crips</a> gang leader Randy Alton Graves (photo above, center) was sentenced in federal court Tuesday morning to life in prison for multiple drug-related crimes. The 53-year-old gangster has more than a dozen felony and misdemeanor convictions from 1976 to 2012, ranging from voluntary manslaughter to gun crimes to multiple drug offenses.</p>
<p>Graves was convicted by a federal jury on April 4, 2016 of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Meth">methamphetamine</a>; conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Marijuana">marijuana</a>; and possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. Following a five-day trial, the jury deliberated for about three hours before returning its verdict.</p>
<p>During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw noted that he also considered Graves’ role in the murder of a government witness, sex trafficking, possession of firearms, and other instances of drug dealing in determining that a life sentence was appropriate - even without a mandatory minimum requirement.</p>
<p>According to evidence presented at trial, Graves sold meth to a confidential informant on four occasions between August and October of 2013. The government also played intercepted phone calls for the jury in which Graves recruited three men to travel to Lompoc, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=California">California</a>, to unload a boat carrying 5,000 pounds of marijuana from <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Mexico">Mexico</a>. Prosecutors also presented evidence obtained from a search warrant executed on Graves’ residence which showed Graves in possession of 79 grams of methamphetamine found in Graves’ refrigerator and two loaded guns.</p>
<p>Graves was initially indicted in June 2014 with racketeering charges connected to the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Crips">West Coast Crips</a> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/street-gangs">street gang</a>. The racketeering activity alleged in that indictment included several homicides, drug, and sex trafficking crimes. Graves’ case was severed from the larger racketeering trial and proceeded to trial only on certain drug charges.</p>
<p> </p>
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Russian mob boss orders the internet to ‘fuggedabout’ him
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/russian-mob-boss-orders-the-internet-to-fuggedabout-him
2016-06-02T11:30:00.000Z
2016-06-02T11:30:00.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/russian-mob-boss-orders-the-internet-to-fuggedabout-him"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237075060,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237075060?profile=original" width="398" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Russian crime boss Sergei Mikhailov (photo above) has been whitewashing his dirty past. Known around the globe as one of the world’s most powerful gangsters, he has used a new law to remove information about his criminal past from major internet search engines in Russia, including Google.</p>
<p>Though 58-year-old <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/russian-boss-sergei-mikhailov">Mikhailov</a> has never been convicted of any crimes, he was arrested several times in connection with extortion and organized crime activity. However, cases against him never resulted in a guilty verdict because witnesses were either afraid to testify or <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/russian-boss-sergei-mikhailov">wound up dead</a> or missing.</p>
<p>His links to and alleged leadership of the Moscow-based <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/russian-mafia-overview">Solntsevskaya mob</a> which he founded has been well-documented since the late 1980s. As his organization grew and expanded, Mikhailov was along for the ride. By the 1990s, he was operating in Switzerland allegedly controlling a vast network of banks to launder billions of criminal money.</p>
<p>After some legal trouble in Switzerland - of which he was acquitted - Mikhailov moved back to Russia. Back home in Moscow he was surrounded by friends in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-dark-knight-of-mother">very high places</a>. As a member of the country’s rich elite, he began making a new name for himself, that of an honest, successful and legitimate businessman and philanthropist.</p>
<p>In the old days, that wouldn’t have been so hard, but with the internet… Well, let’s just say the internet never forgets. Thankfully, a new law went into full effect last January. Titled the “Right to forget” law, it gives Russians a chance to block fellow citizens from looking up any information about them they deem harmful.</p>
<p>For Mikhailov that meant blocking a long list of websites and texts discussing his alleged criminal deeds and operations. Search engines Google.ru, Mail.ru, and Yandex.ru have already removed content related to his shady past.</p>
<p>Whether it will be enough to launder Mikhailov’s dirty history remains in doubt. The law is only effective in Russia and reporters continue to write about his connection to and role in Russian organized crime.</p>
<p>As far as mob bosses go, Mikhailov has reached the very top of the mountain, but if he really wants to erase his criminal past and wash it clean, maybe he should just run for president. It would make censoring stuff a lot easier.</p>
<p>We at Gangsters Inc. hope that with all this deleting of criminal histories going on, Mikhailov doesn’t forget to delete his own browser history as well. It could perhaps save him from some awkward moments with his wife.</p>
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Russian mob boss released on bail in Austria
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/russian-mob-boss-released-on-bail-in-austria
2016-02-24T13:37:27.000Z
2016-02-24T13:37:27.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/russian-mob-boss-released-on-bail-in-austria"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237062264,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237062264?profile=original" width="420" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>Russian mob boss Aslan Gagiev was released on bail by an Austrian court yesterday. A surprising move considering he is wanted in Moscow for his involvement in at least six murders, including the killings of some very high-placed figures.</p>
<p>Gagiev was arrested by police in January 2015 at a Vienna train station. Upon his arrest, Russia requested his extradition. Prosecutors in Russia have accused Gagiev and his gang of murdering the deputy vice-president of the Russian republic of North Ossetia, the deputy public prosecutor, a mayor, and the chief of police.</p>
<p>Heavy accusations, but Austria’s highest court delayed the extradition for fears over Gagiev’s treatment by Russian authorities. Worse, their most wanted crime boss is now out on bail, bond was set at €100,000 euros. Though Gagiev was ordered to remain in the country, Russian prosecutors will not rest easy knowing their target has the possibility to move around freely.</p>
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Armed Imperial Gangsta Bloods drug dealer sentenced to 35 years
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/armed-imperial-gangsta-bloods-drug-dealer-sentenced-to-35-years
2015-09-24T20:00:00.000Z
2015-09-24T20:00:00.000Z
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<div><p>Jermarrieo Javone Stigger, 30, of Portsmouth, was sentenced Tuesday to 420 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute narcotics and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237053301,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237053301?profile=original" width="100" /></a>Stigger (right) pleaded guilty on Feb. 25, 2015. According to court documents, Stigger was a high-ranking member of the Imperial Gangsta Bloods, a Portsmouth-based set affiliated with the United Blood Nation that engaged in drug trafficking and acts of violence, including multiple shooting incidents during the summer of 2014.</p>
<p>Operating out of Virginia Beach hotel rooms and other residences in Hampton Roads, Stigger bought and sold, and managed others who sold, substantial amounts of cocaine and crack cocaine. He was regularly armed during the course of the drug conspiracy, including with an assault rifle and numerous handguns.</p>
<p>The defendant and other members of the Imperial Gangsta Bloods who are awaiting sentencing were investigated in a joint operation by the FBI, the Portsmouth Police Department, the Virginia Beach Police Department, and the Virginia State Police.</p>
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37 Bloods gangsters sentenced to over 415 years in prison
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/37-bloods-gangsters-sentenced-to-over-415-years-in-prison
2015-09-06T16:35:06.000Z
2015-09-06T16:35:06.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237040085,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237040085?profile=original" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>A multi-year investigation into the Nine Trey Gangsters Bloods criminal street gang, a set of the East Coast United Blood Nation, in Virginia concluded last week as the final defendant pleaded guilty.</p>
<p>The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation into the Nine Trey Gangsters, designated Operation Ruby Red and Operation Full Blooded Ink, led to the arrest and prosecution of 37 gang members in the Eastern District of Virginia since 2013, resulting in a total of approximately 415 years in prison for the gang members.</p>
<p>Much of the criminal activity in the investigation centered on the distribution of narcotics in Virginia, Maryland and the D.C. metro area, namely large quantities of crack cocaine. The gangsters were also charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, violence in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, conspiracy to distribute counterfeit currency, and possession and use of firearms.</p>
<p>With yet another successful operation against the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/bloods-gang-leader-charged-with-three-murders">Bloods gang</a> authorities are showing they mean business and are taking these so-called street gangs just as serious as traditional organized crime groups such as the Italian and Russian Mafia.</p>
<p>“The ultimate success of this case is due in large part to the terrific effort of our prosecutors combined with our agency partners and case agents,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “My hope is that our efforts to investigate and prosecute these gang members will send a clear message to our communities: Violent gangs and their members will not be tolerated. They will be aggressively pursued and prosecuted at every opportunity.” </p>
<p>Below is a complete list of the individuals who were prosecuted, and the respective outcome of their case:</p>
<ul>
<li>Michael Smallwood, aka Heavenly Sovereignty, 45, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on April 9, 2013, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on July 10, 2013, to 30 years in prison.</li>
<li>Raymond Dawes, aka Veins, 35, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on April 23, 2013, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on July 23, 2013, to 12 years 7 months in prison.</li>
<li>Lovell Ritchie, aka Snax, 31, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on April 23, 2013, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Dec. 12, 2013, to 12 years 7 months in prison.</li>
<li>Amanda Ewell, aka Amanda Sovereignty, 30, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on June 5, 2013, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Sept. 23, 2013, to 10 years in prison.</li>
<li>Brynn Lackey, aka BEZ, 33, of Washington DC: Pleaded guilty on July 3, 2013, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Oct. 01, 2013, to 10 years in prison.</li>
<li>Thaddaeus Snow, aka Storm, 25, of Manassas: Found guilty at trial on Feb. 21, 2014, of various crimes, including sex trafficking, distribution of narcotics, robbery and counterfeit money, violence in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, possession of a firearm, Hobbs Act Robbery, etc. Sentenced on May 9, 2014, to 40 years in prison.</li>
<li>Curtis Martino, aka Curtis Dodd, aka Red Rum, 31, of Elkridge, Maryland: Pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2013 to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Sentenced on March 21, 2014, to 21 years in prison.</li>
<li>William Sykes, aka Black Gambino, 31, of Bealeton: Found guilty at trial on Feb. 21, 2014, of various crimes, including sex trafficking, distribution of narcotics and counterfeit money, violence in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Sentenced on May 9, 2014, to 30 years in prison.</li>
<li>George Williams, aka Champ, 30, of Bealeton: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, and use and discharge of a firearm during an act of violence in aid of racketeering. Sentenced on April 8, 2014, to 12 years in prison.</li>
<li>Markeith Kerns, aka LTK, 22, of Summerduck: Pleaded guilty on Oct. 16, 2013, to conspiracy to commit racketeering, and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Sentenced on Jan. 3, 2014, to 10 years in prison.</li>
<li>Janee Yates, aka Alazia, 25, of Warrenton: Pleaded guilty on Oct. 3, 2014, to conspiracy to commit racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Jan. 17, 2014, to 10 years in prison.</li>
<li>Deontae Holland, aka D-Boy, 29, of Bealeton: Pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2013, to conspiracy to commit racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Jan. 17, 2014, to 15 years in prison.</li>
<li>William Sharp Manning aka Ill Will, 26, of Warrenton: Pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2013, to conspiracy to commit racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on March 7, 2014, to 15 years in prison.</li>
<li>James Watson, aka Black Kat, 36, of Gainesville: Pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, 2014, to conspiracy to commit racketeering with the predict acts being distribution of heroin, and marijuana and sex trafficking. Sentenced on April 28, 2014, to 2 ½ years in prison.</li>
<li>Christopher Head aka Briss, 27, of Washington, D.C.: Pleaded guilty on Nov. 25, 2014, to conspiracy to commit racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Feb. 21, 2014, to 11 years in prison.</li>
<li>Nicole Yates aka Merlot, 29, of Fairfax: Pleaded guilty on Oct. 3, 2013, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Sentenced on Jan. 3, 2014, to 10 years in prison.</li>
<li>Candy Minor, 30, of Fredericksburg: Pleaded guilty on Nov. 6, 2013, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Sentenced on Jan. 24, 2014, to 2 years in prison.</li>
<li>Kaleef Tweedy, aka Bloody Tweed, 25, of Dumfries: Pleaded guilty on Dec. 13, 2013, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence in aid of racketeering. Sentenced on March 14, 2014, to 15 years in prison.</li>
<li>Justin Finley, aka J Mo, 26, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on Nov. 26, 2013, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Feb. 28, 2014, to 11 years 8 months in prison.</li>
<li>Stephon Greene aka Blitz, 23, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2014, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on April 18, 2014, to 10 years in prison.</li>
<li>LaTonya Snow, aka Lady Dynasty, 32, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2014, to conspiracy to violate the Mann Act by transporting prostitutes across state lines. Sentenced on April 18, 2014, to 90 days in prison and three years of active probation.</li>
<li>Devante Jordan, aka Trey, 23, of Alexandria: Pleaded guilty on Jan. 14, 2014, to conspiracy to commit armed robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Sentenced on March 28, 2014, to 11 years 8 months in prison.</li>
<li>Aayron Marshal, aka Mook, 25, of Warrenton: Pleaded guilty on Oct. 10, 2013, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Jan. 17, 2014, to 10 years in prison.</li>
<li>Joshua Pendleton Brooks aka Wacko, 29, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on Jan. 23, 2014, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on April 8, 2014, to 5 years 10 months in prison.</li>
<li>Lionel Ritchie, aka Boogie, 31, of Remington: Pleaded guilty on Oct. 3, 2013, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Jan. 3, 2014, to 7 years in prison.</li>
<li>Jameel Aleem, aka Nino B, 33, of Washington, D.C.: Pleaded guilty on Nov. 12, 2014, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Dec. 12, 2014, to 3 years 4 months in prison.</li>
<li>Antwan Minor, aka Noid, 35, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on Oct. 1, 2013, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced on Jan. 17, 2014, to 14 years in prison.</li>
<li>Deyonka Gaskins, 31, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2014, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Due to Gaskin’s lack of criminal history she was eligible for the safe valve guidelines for sentencing (which removes the ten year mandatory minimum portion of her final sentence). Sentenced to 6 days in prison and 3 years of active probation.</li>
<li>Gracier Isique, 30, of Manassas: Pleaded guilty on Jan. 16, 2014, to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Sentenced to 3 years of active probation.</li>
<li>Ricardo Simmons, 26, of Alexandria: Pleaded guilty on April 21, 2014, to use and discharge of a firearm during an act of violence, and conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. Sentenced on July 11, 2014, to 12 years 6 months in prison.</li>
<li>Abdur Roland, aka Boo, 27, of Woodbridge: Pleaded guilty on Feb. 19, 2015, to Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, brandishing of a firearm during an act of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Sentenced on May 08, 2015, 13 years in prison.</li>
<li>Brien Hughes, aka Poncho, 32, of Fredericksburg: Pleaded guilty on March 4, 2015, to two separate charges of brandishing of a firearm during an act of violence. Sentenced on Aug. 7, 2015, to 30 years in prison.</li>
<li>Jonathan Coleman, aka Swagg, 24, of Woodbridge: Pleaded guilty on March 18, 2015, to brandishing of a firearm during an act of violence. Sentenced on June 19, 2015, to 7 years in prison.</li>
<li>Robert Bates, aka Kid, 27, of Staunton: Pleaded guilty on April 16, 2015, to possession of a firearm during an act of violence. Sentenced on July 21, 2015, to 5 years in prison.</li>
<li>Joshua Lewis, aka Smiley, 25, of Woodbridge: Pleaded guilty on May 26, 2015, to possession of a firearm during an act of violence. Sentenced on Aug. 14, 2015, to 7 years in prison.</li>
<li>Dajuan Burrous, aka Baggz, 26, of Dumfries: Pleaded guilty on Sept. 3, 2015, to brandishing a firearm during or in a relation to a crime of violence. Sentencing set for Nov. 20, 2015.</li>
</ul>
<p>The case was investigated by OCDETF, Operation Ruby Red. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.</p>
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Pure Evil - Profile of Russian mob boss Sergei Tsapok
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/russian-mob-boss-sergei-tsapok
2014-07-09T19:00:00.000Z
2014-07-09T19:00:00.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/russian-mob-boss-sergei-tsapok"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237022694,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237022694?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Pure evil. There is no other way to describe Russian mob boss Sergei Tsapok. He is a prime example of the totalitarian power Russian gangsters have over their respective territories. For a long time he got away with murder. But then he murdered twelve people, among them four children, and Moscow took notice.</p>
<p>The village of Kushchevskaya is located in the Krasnodar Territory in southern Russia. Krasnodar is also home to <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/russian-mafia-boss-rakhimov-and-the-sochi-olympics">Sochi</a>, which held the 2014 Winter Olympics. It’s a region where agriculture is the main source of income. And where law and order is in the hands of private militias and crime gangs.</p>
<p>Tsapok is the son of one of Krasnodar’s wealthiest landowners. Besides that, he is also the muscle and protector. His influence even reached into regional politics as he was elected deputy in the local government. It’s part of doing business in the new Russia where it’s about knowing all the right people in all the right places.</p>
<p>With the right connections one could get away with just about anything.</p>
<p>When his brother Nikolai was murdered in 2002, Sergei assumed leadership of his family’s militia and, as a result, its (criminal) business empire. Bound by nothing but his own sense of right and wrong, Tsapok continued terrorizing Kushchevskaya.</p>
<p>Olga Bogacheva has experienced that terror up close. Four relatives of her were murdered by Tsapok and his men. In 2003, her son and her husband, a business rival of Tsapok, were shot dead. At that time no one was arrested for the killings. “The gang had total power,” Bogacheva told the BBC. “Prosecutors, police, local officials - they all did what Tsapok told them to. People were too frightened to complain.”</p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9237023088,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237023088,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237023088?profile=original" width="201" /></a>And for those who had no reason to be afraid, Tsapok had other methods, “After my family was murdered,” Bogacheva says, “Tsapok gave the local police chief a gift - a brand new Mercedes. Just imagine: the head of police driving round in Tsapok's Merc. And everyone knew whose car it was. So there was no point running off to the police to complain about Tsapok's gang.”</p>
<p>Without boundaries Tsapok’s lust for blood only grew. As did his boldness.</p>
<p>On November 4, 2010, Tsapok decided he needed to avenge his brother’s murder. He thought that his death had been ordered by a wealthy local farmer named Server Ametov. That day, he sent out his men to kill Ametov.</p>
<p>What happened next is something straight out of a Truman Capote novel. The hit men waited for nightfall in an abandoned house not far from Ametov’s home. Under the cover of darkness they crept up to the house and mercifully knocked the guard dog out with a tranquilizer.</p>
<p>They had no such mercy for their fellow human beings.</p>
<p>Once inside, they first killed Irina Mironenko, Ametov’s wife’s sister, and Yelena Ametova, Ametov's 19-year-old daughter-in-law. According to the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11736312" target="_blank">BBC</a>, “The two women had been resting along with Marina's daughters on a sofa out in the hall. Neither of the little girls survived, but it appears that one of them was strangled while the other choked on smoke from fires the killers started before they left. Alerted to the noise, Ametov left his guests at the festive dinner table to see what was happening, and was killed along with Baby Amira, who was in his arms. The murderers then went into the dining-room where they stabbed to death Mr Mironenko, Pavel's mother and Ametov's wife Galina. Lidia and Viktor Ignatenko, the parents of Galina and Marina, were also killed. When Pavel arrived and tried to escape, they shot him with a traumatic pistol, then stabbed him to death too.”</p>
<p>After death had spread throughout the house, Tsapok’s men started fires around the house. Whether it was to draw attention to their gruesome handiwork or as a diversion is unknown.</p>
<p>The house of horrors they left behind, however, was now known and visible to the entire nation. Russia was shocked. Moscow sent detectives to Kushchevskaya to help solve the case. For the first time this farm village had something it hadn’t had since the fall of the Soviet Empire: The Law.</p>
<p>And they went to work with the backing of the country’s most powerful boss, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-dark-knight-of-mother">Vladimir Putin</a>.</p>
<p>Sergei Tsapok was no match for the big boss.</p>
<p>In November of 2013, Tsapok was found guilty of the murders and sentenced to life in prison. Two of his men were also given life sentences for the murders. Three other gang members were given sentences of 19 and 20 years.</p>
<p>Normally things would end there. Life in prison. For a guy with Tsapok’s power and wealth life behind bars could be very comfortable. But things turned out very differently for the boss and his men.</p>
<p>On the night of July 6, Tsapok died at a detention facility. His cause of death remains a bit of a <a href="http://rapsinews.com/news/20140707/271666754.html" target="_blank">mystery</a> with sources claiming he either died of a stroke or acute heart failure.</p>
<p>This normally wouldn’t be cause for suspicion. However, three members of Tsapok’s gang have recently committed suicide at detention facilities. One of the group’s principal hit men who received a life sentence, Igor Chernykh, hanged himself last Friday.</p>
<p>A coincidence?</p>
<p>Probably not.</p>
<p>In an excellent piece for <a href="http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/grigorii-golosov/kushchevskaya-crime-and-punishment-in-russian-village" target="_blank">openDemocracy</a>, Grigorii Golosov <a href="http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/grigorii-golosov/kushchevskaya-crime-and-punishment-in-russian-village" target="_blank">wrote</a> “In a public statement Tkachev explicitly called Tsapok a “traitor”. As is well known, a traitor's guilt consists in betraying a key secret. And the secret of Russian politics is that crime is linked to power. Everyone understands this, but any direct confirmation of this fact hits a raw nerve.”</p>
<p>There’s never a happy ending for traitors.</p>
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Black Caesar: The Rise of America’s Biggest Kingpin
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-caesar-the-rise-of-america-s-biggest-kingpin
2013-05-30T14:30:00.000Z
2013-05-30T14:30:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/black-caesar-the-rise-of-america-s-biggest-kingpin"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237014480,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237014480?profile=original" width="500" /></a>This is an excerpt from Ron Chepesiuk’s new biography on legendary gangster Frank Matthews. The book, titled Black Caesar: The Rise and Disappearance of America’s Biggest Kingpin, will uncover the true story of this international man of mystery who ran the American streets.</p>
<p>By Ron Chepesiuk</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">Who was Frank Matthews?</span></strong></p>
<p>Born in 1944 in Durham, North Carolina, Matthews left his hometown when he was a teenager, going first to Philadelphia and then to New York City. By the early 1970’s, Frank Matthews had become America's biggest drug kingpin. His organization, headquartered in Brooklyn, stretched across 21 states, and he became the only Black gangster to establish direct ties to the French Connection heroin pipeline. To quote William Callahan, a federal prosecutor assigned to the Matthews’ case, “Matthews was a pioneering giant of drug distribution.</p>
<p><a href="http://amzn.to/11MOIOU" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237014887,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237014887?profile=original" width="216" /></a>The $15 to 20 million Matthews (right) is believed to have disappeared with is roughly equivalent to the $90 to $100 in today's cash. The <a href="http://amzn.to/11MOIOU" target="_blank">book</a> explores various theories about the fate of Frank Matthews, and the author offers his own conclusion about the mystery.</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">The Excerpt:</span></strong></p>
<p>In jumping bail, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drug-boss-frank-matthews">Matthews</a> left the people who had put up the money holding the bag, so to speak. To meet the $325,000 bond, a delegation of friends and family members led by Matthews’ Aunt Marzella had raised $100,000 and posted some of Matthews’ properties in New York City as collateral. On July 20, 1971, Federal judge Anthony J. Travia ordered theforfeiture of $325,000 bail that Matthews posted.</p>
<p>The bonding company, Public Service Mutual Inc. did not appear in court to protest the forfeiture. The press noted that the biggest signer of the bond was Julius Sterling Sales of Durham, who put up his business Jake’s Garage, estimated to be worth $100,000. To collect, thebonding company would have to obtain a foreclosure. In early July 1973, Barbara Hinton met with Edward Stanton, the representative of the insurance company that had posted Matthews’ bond.</p>
<p>Hinton told Stanton that there would be no need for his company to proceed legally against the properties her common-in-law husband had posted as collateral. If Frank is alive, he will re-pay your insurance company, Hinton assured Stanton. Sure enough, on July 19, 1973, two men delivered $225,100 in cash to Stanton’s insurance company. The bond was repaid.</p>
<p>The insurance company was not the only entity to which <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drug-boss-frank-matthews">Black Caesar</a> owed money. The IRS was relentlessly pursuing the $7,009,165 in back taxes that Matthews owed the U.S. government. To recover some of the debt, the IRS auctioned Matthews’ Todt Hill mansion and its contents in mid-January 1974. The auctioneer was IRS agent Vincent DiPaolo, who oversaw an eight man staff that ran the liquidation sale for the IRS’s Manhattan office at 120 Church Street.</p>
<p>Undeterred by the abominable weather and the hazardous driving conditions, nearly a hundred prospective buyers, many of them requesting anonymity, crowded into the living room of the Matthews house at 7 Buttonwood Road. Nobody from the Matthews family attended the auction. “The auction realized just about what it should have,” said Claire Brown, a Staten Island auctioneer, who appraised the furnishings. That was Brown’s delicate way of saying that the IRS had to settle for a “pauper’s portion” of the true value of the contents it sold.</p>
<p><a href="http://amzn.to/11MOIOU" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237014901,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237014901?profile=original" width="368" /></a>For a mere $5,085, eleven people walked off with an assortment of furnishings, including everything from a commode chair to a 15-foot marble top end table valued at $400. A hefty young woman in skintight pants and expensive looking fur coat took home a huge credenza from the living room for $330. She declined to give her name to the press because she had called in sick to her boss in order to attend the auction.</p>
<p>`The single biggest chunk of cash, $1,500, was paid for the furnishings in the master bedroom: a mirror, night table, king-size bed, color TV with remote control, and a shoe chest with 25 compartments. The lowest bid of the evening was $55 for a collection of Christmas decorations, toys<br /> and a hobby horse.</p>
<p>Earlier, the IRS had tried to auction off the house, but the court gave priority to the lending institution for the mortgage. The Matthews house, valued at $250,000, sold for $128,000 at auction to Mrs. Ann Mae Cotogna of 925 Todt Hill Road. Paul Cotogna, Mrs. Cotogna’s husband, attended the auction, and he told the press that his wife’s purchase was a “business decision,” meaning the property could be re-sold.</p>
<p>After the IRS seized the Todt Hill property, Hinton and her three children moved to 3333 Henry Hudson Parkway. Eventually, the Matthews family settled into a house on 95th Street between Ditmas and Avenue B in a middle-class Brooklyn neighborhood. Bill Daley and Dexter Lezama, two kids not yet in their teens, befriended the Matthews children. Daley and Lezama, now in their 40s, remember Hinton and her children as “unpretentious, nice people” who “obviously had money but never flaunted it.” “Mrs. Hinton was beautiful and down-to-earth, and you would never know that she and the children were connected to Frank Matthews,” Lezama explained. “They were good neighbors.” Hinton owned a grocery store in the neighborhood.”</p>
<p>Of the three Matthews brothers, Daley and Lezama were the closest to Sean (nicknamed Man) because they were about the same age “Sean never talked about his father,” Daley explained. “I can only recall one time when the subject of our fathers came up. He asked me what my father did for a living. I explained that he was a police officer back in Jamaica. I asked him what his father did. Sean hesitated and then said, ‘My father is a gangster.’ I just looked at him and laughed, thinking he was joking. But<br /> now I know he was serious.”</p>
<p>The Hinton home was nicely furnished, but both Daley and Lezama thought it odd that it did not contain any photos of the father. “We never saw anything in the house that indicated who their father was,” Daley recalled. “Come to think of it, they never talked about him.” Eventually, the Matthews, Daley and Lezama families all moved out of the neighborhood, and they lost touch. “I heard through the grapevine that Sean later got into trouble with dogs… dog fighting, I think,” Lezama said. “He had a Doberman when he was living in our neighborhood. I would love to see him again, He was a good guy.”</p>
<p><strong>Go to <a href="http://www.frankmatthewsbook.com" target="_blank">www.frankmatthewsbook.com</a> for more on this book or straight to <a href="http://amzn.to/11MOIOU" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> to order <a href="http://amzn.to/11MOIOU" target="_blank">it</a>.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Check out the Crime Beat radio show for a discussion on the Frank Matthews story on June 6, 2013. Go to <a href="http://www.artistfirst.com/crimebeat.htm" target="_blank">www.artistfirst.com/crimebeat.htm</a>. All shows are archived for 24-7 listening.</strong></p>
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