Sanders has been in law enforcement for 40 years and previously served as the Kentucky State Police Commissioner. Official websites use .gov Though Hoover was not accused of wrongdoing, the indictment alleged that in September 2014, Gangster Disciples members Anthony Dobbins and Warren Griffin discussed how Hoover had recently appointed them as "board members," a powerful position directly beneath Hoover that gave them authority over the gang's national operation. About 900 gang factions operate in Chicago today, police say. As part of this investigation, we took those concerns to Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields, who sent this statement: Working to curb violent crime is one of my top priorities at LMPD. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The counts' Chief Enforcers additionally head up "enforcement teams" and "clean-up crews," comprised of members who enforce the rules and administer discipline against those who do not. "This is a different Louisville and if we don't pay attention and do something about it then it's going to be out of control.". InfoTracer is not a "consumer reporting agency" under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA"), and does not provide "consumer reports" under the FCRA. They then recruited heavily in Chicago, within jails and prisons, and across the United States. The decision to merge the two gangs came from a fear that gang warfare would decimate the black youth of the region. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to eliminate the terror gang members inflict upon our communities, and will exhaust every available resource, including the federal RICO statute, to bring them to justice. Warren Griffin, 51, of Lancaster, Kentucky, an alleged national Board Member, is charged with RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and related firearms crimes. Other high-ranking members of the gang have been released from prison under the same law. Tommy Lee Wilkins (Holloway), aka Tommy Gunz, 28, of Memphis, was a member of the security team in Memphis. Gang members had suspected the second man might do the same, prosecutors said. Volunteers unload hundreds of boxes containing food during an Oct. 15 giveaway in Robbins. Craig . I am especially grateful for the support of the ATF and the many dedicated law enforcement officers at all levels of government who contributed to this investigation., ATF has no higher priority than investigating violent crime and ensuring that those who use firearms in furtherance of their criminal activities are held accountable, said Fred Winston, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kansas City Field Division. Governors typically coordinate much of the criminal activity that occurs within a particular state. Other acts of violence alleged as part of the conspiracy include a nightclub stabbing in East St. Louis, Illinois; a nonfatal shooting in Cape Girardeau, Missouri; and multiple unsuccessful murder plots. Life on a third straight one-year contract with the mega-talented Astros isnt bad at all. (WMC) - The Gangster Disciples is a dangerous gang founded in the 1970's in Chicago, Illinois. Certain defendants were also charged with murder, attempted murder, and various firearms crimes. Attorneys Kim S. Dammers, Ryan K. Buchanan and Stephanie Gabay-Smith of the Northern District of Georgia. And I said, Absolutely. . The F.B.I. Ronald Safer, a defense lawyer who was a federal prosecutor on the Gangster Disciples case, has said hed still prosecute Yates and other ranking members of the gang but would seek significantly less prison time for most. On May 18, 2018, Griffin and Dobbins are accused of killing Ernest Wilson, a rival Board Member, in Chicago, Illinois. This prosecution underscores that coordinated criminal activity will be met with a coordinated and focused law enforcement response by the Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local level. Download the WHAS11 News app now. With the charges unsealed today, we are taking an important, powerful step in the fight to disrupt and dismantle gangs operating in this region. Basically, they got de facto life sentences for drugs, Khalalah Jackson says of her husband and his co-defendants. He is currently in prison, but still communicates with other gang leadership. The lawlessness these gangs bring to our cities is terribly destructive and oftentimes difficult to prosecute. The GD are involved in criminal activity in more than 30 states. The Gangster Disciples (often abbreviated as the GD's, formerly GDN) are an African American street and prison gang, which was formed in 1969, by Larry Hoover and David Barksdale. The Black Disciples Gangster Nation initiate new members with beat-downs by fellow gang members, murders, and other violent crimes. The Black Disciple Gangster Nation (BDGN) is a gang that was formed in the south side of Chicago in 1960 when two rival gangs, the Black Disciple Nation (led by David Barksdale) and the Gangster Nation (led by Larry Hoover) combined to become one group under co-leadership. Murder in aid of racketeering is a death-eligible offense. The availability and accuracy of information is largely dependent on various public sources from which the information is aggregated. Moving swiftly after winning convictions of Gangster Disciples leader Larry Hoover and other high-ranking gang members two weeks ago, authorities indicted eight additional men Friday in a. It also says Dobbins, 53, whos from downstate Troy, a suburb of St. Louis, and Griffin, 51, from Lancaster, Kentucky, threatened to kill anyone who resisted their authority, though it doesnt say how authorities got that information. The indictment also alleges various acts of drug trafficking by Gangster Disciples members, including an ongoing scheme to smuggle the synthetic drug K2 into Missouri state prisons. The Atlanta case is being investigated by the FBI Atlanta's Safe Streets Gang Task Force (composed of members of the FBI, Alpharetta Police Department (PD), Atlanta PD, Clayton County PD, DeKalb PD, Forest Park PD, GA Dept. Attorneys Jerry Kitchen, Samuel Stringfellow, Beth Boswell, and Michelle Parks of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Tennessee. Two leaders of the Gangster Disciples, a national street gang with roots in Chicago, were sentenced on Friday for a racketeering conspiracy involving murder. Im not saying that, you know, Im going to vote for the guy, Harrell says of Trump. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, are committed to seeing this campaign through, and once and for all putting an end to the Gangster Disciples' reign of violence.. At the top of the national group is the "Chairman," a man known as L.H. We are committed to dismantling violent gangs like the Gangster Disciples and holding their members accountable for criminal conduct., These charges target national and state leaders of one of the most notorious street gangs in America, said Steven D. Weinhoeft, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. If Leinenweber decides Hoover has served enough time in federal prison under the life term he was handed in 1997 for running a criminal enterprise, Hoover still faces a 200-year Illinois state court sentence from 1973 for ordering the killing of a gang member he suspected was stealing from him. . Violators may be subject to civil and criminal litigation and penalties. The organization is ruled by a national leadership of a corporate board-style group, prosecutors said during a three-week trial. A group of seven men allegedly connected to the gang were indicted in January, among them was Warren Griffin originally from Lancaster, Kentucky. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The federal indictment was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. Walton, Ahmad and Laderris Dickerson, 45, of Chicago, are also charged with carjacking and Walton and Dickerson are charged with a related firearms offense. You have to harm or kill somebody as part of your initiation, there's a lot of torture that might be involved, Sanders said. Barry Boyce, 44, of Charleston, Missouri, an alleged member of the gang, is charged with RICO conspiracy. The BOP'sintelligence componentappreciates the opportunity to assist our federal partners in detecting and disrupting criminal activity related to inmates in the BOP's custody., Investigating organized crime and related financial schemes are a top priority for CI, said Tamera Cantu, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), Chicago Field Office. "He's pulling a gun from his waistband," Sanders said. The long list of violent crimes alleged in this indictmentincluding two murders and multiple violent assaultsmake plain the threat to our communities posed by criminal organizations like the Gangster Disciples, said Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. The Memphis case is being prosecuted by David N. Karpel of the Criminal Divisions Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. James Yates was sentenced two decades ago to life in prison after a jury found that he was a governor of the Gangster Disciples in charge of distributing drugs for the street gang in Chicagos south suburbs. ForAppleorAndroidusers. This investigation demonstrates ATFs commitment and the commitment of our law enforcement partners to ensure that Missouri and Illinois communities remain a safe place to live, work and raise families. The Black Disciples Gangster Nation is one of the primary drug-dealing organizations in the Midwest, selling up to $100 million in drugs per year. Polling Place: Is Patrick Kane the greatest Blackhawk ever? Yates volunteered at some of them. The Gangster Disciples is a violent gang that began in Chicago in the 1970s when the Black Disciples and the Supreme Gangsters merged, the Atlanta indictment says. The RICO conspiracies charged here include attempted murder, narcotics trafficking, extortion, firearms crimes, obstruction of justice and other crimes in furtherance of the Gangster Disciples enterprise and to raise funds for the gang. Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John A. Horn of the Northern District of Georgia, U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III of the Western District of Tennessee, Special Agent in Charge J. Britt Johnson of the FBIs Atlanta Division and Special Agent in Charge A. Todd McCall of the FBIs Memphis Division made the announcement. The gang also provided financial and other support to members charged with or incarcerated for gang-related offenses and members who were fugitives from law enforcement were provided safe houses in which to hide from police. The Black Disciple Gangster Nation changed from a community organization back into a gang with an influx of drugs into the area. But U.S. Attorney John Lausch urged U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber last year to keep Hoover in federal prison for the rest of his life. Cases like these make a difference, and I want to thank all the law enforcement and U.S. Attorney Office and Organized Crime and Gang Section prosecutors who worked so hard to build this case., Atlanta has historically been resistant to the incursion of these national gangs, but unfortunately todays indictment shows how this landscape has changed in just the last few years, as the Gangster Disciples are only one of several gangs that now boast a strong foothold, said U.S. Attorney John Horn. These guys have evolved to help the community they harmed.. On April 28, 2018, Clemon, Maxwell, and Harris, on orders from Smith, allegedly killed Leroy Allen as part of a leadership dispute at a Gangster Disciples meeting in Bridgeton, Missouri. In 1973, Hoover was sentenced to. East St. Louis, Ill. The United States Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Steven D. Weinhoeft, announced today that seven alleged members of the violent Gangster Disciples gang, including top national and state leaders, have been charged in a federal indictment accusing them of a years-long interstate RICO conspiracy involving multiple murders, drug trafficking, and other crimes. The wars ceased when Larry and David formed together as a . But he still opposes the release of Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover, whos also trying to get out of prison under the First Step Act. released a report in 2011 that revealed that at least 53 gangs are represented in the military, particularly the branches of the Army. according to a release from the United States Department of Justice. They'll usually deal cocaine and heroin, according to the Department of Justice. Lancaster is in Garrard County, about 100 miles east of Louisville. May 4, 2016 1:29 PM PT. April 4, law enforcement in Memphis and Atlanta announced a major bust which they said resulted in the arrest ofdozens of leaders in GD. Among the crimes alleged in the indictment are two gang-related murders. For Yates, 20 years in prison was enough, according to Safer. NASHVILLE, Tenn., - June 30, 2017 - A federal grand jury in Nashville, Tenn., returned a 40-count indictment yesterday, charging 11 members of the Gangster Disciples with conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise that included multiple murders, including the murder of a witness; a drug distribution conspiracy; and multiple other crimes of violence in aid of Yates and Harrell see it as ironic that Trump, who has refused to denounce white supremacists, signed the law that allowed Yates, a Black man, to leave prison. An official website of the United States government. Each "count" also has a Chief Enforcer. According to the indictment, the Gangster Disciples is a violent street and prison gang founded in the 1960's that has engaged in large-scale drug trafficking and violence throughout the United States. "They were very disciplined, very organized," Sanders said. "Right in front of the camera. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jeremy Franker and Conor Mulroe of the Criminal Divisions Organized Crime and Gang Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali M. Summers of the Southern District of Illinois, with substantial investigative support from th U.S.Attorneys Offices for the Eastern District of Missouri and the Northern District of Illinois. Dobbins and Griffin were arrested later in 2018, Dobbins for drug possession and Griffin in a separate case for illegal possession of a gun. They use front organizations to integrate themselves in the communities they live in. We aint looking back. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Larry Hoover made a statement in the 1990s claiming that he had put his violent past behind him and that GD now meant Growth and Development, not Gangster Disciples. how interested you are in the Fire, whose season begins Saturday against New York City FC at Soldier Field. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, were vocal advocates for the law, and Kanye West lobbied for it during a White House visit. Shauntay Craig, 42, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in August 2019 to racketeering conspiracy involving murder and drug trafficking. ", Clean-up crews: These are enforcement teams who work for the Chief Enforcer, administering discipline (including assault and murder) to members who violate the rules. The gang protected its power and operation through threats, intimidation and violence, including murder, attempted murder, assault and obstruction of justice. The results of that poll, in a word: Oof. This is a 70-year-old man in the twilight of his years who has serious medical complications and is seeking release to finally be with his wife, children and grandchildren after nearly 50 years of separation, Moore said. On April 28, 2018, Clemon, Maxwell and Harris, on orders from Smith, allegedly killed Leroy Allen as part of a leadership dispute at a Gangster Disciples meeting in Bridgeton, Missouri. "he was responsible for violence drug trafficking and murders, including orchestrating the murder of a . The other shows a gang-related shooting captured by police cameras in the middle of the day. Hoover is serving a life sentence in a super-max prison in Colorado. If convicted of the racketeering conspiracy charged in Count 1, each defendant could receive as much as life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Information obtained through InfoTracer is not to be used for any unlawful purposes such as stalking or harassing others, or investigating public officials or celebrities. Flipboard James Yates, a former high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples, formed the Revitalization of Robbins Initiative after his life prison sentence was overturned and he was released in April under the federal First Step Act. Larry Hoover was given another life sentence in 1993 after federal officials wiretapped him in prison and charged him with drugs, extortion and running a 30,000-member criminal enterprise from behind bars. Identification: Symbolism plays a large part in the Gangster Disciples' culture. (FBI/Contributed, YHN) Two leaders of the Gangster Disciples, a notorious national gang, were sentenced on Friday in federal court for a racketeering conspiracy involving murder . The long list of violent crimes alleged in this indictment including two murders and multiple violent assaults make plain the threat to our communities posed by criminal organizations like the Gangster Disciples, said Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. The Gangster Disciples have a clear organizational structure which reportedly includes a chairman, board members, governor of governors, governor, chief enforcer and count. Other acts of violence alleged as part of the conspiracy include a nightclub stabbing in East St. Louis, Illinois, a nonfatal shooting in Cape Girardeau,and multiple unsuccessful murder plots. This prosecution underscores that coordinated criminal activity will be met with a coordinated and focused law enforcement response by the Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local level. The "Literature Coordinator" maintains contact lists, meeting minutes, membership applications, and other documents. According to court documents, the Gangster Disciples are a violent gang with a decades-long history of lawlessness and a presence throughout the United States, including in state and federal prisons. Reverend Jesse Jackson was a frequent visitor who encouraged BGDN and other gangs to be politically active in demanding job opportunities in the construction industry and to foster accountability from local businesses. If convicted of the racketeering conspiracy charged in Count 1, each defendant could receive as much as life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sean Clemon, 50, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the alleged Governor of the state of Missouri, is charged with RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and related firearms crimes. The case was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. Have a news tip? To introduce the criminal nature of the Gangster Disciples to a new member, older members and leaders in the various local groups ordered newer members to commit crimes, including murder, robbery and drug trafficking. InfoTracer expressly prohibits the use of information you obtain from search results (a) to discriminate against any consumer; (b) for the purpose of considering a consumers eligibility for personal credit or insurance, employment, housing, or a government license or benefit; or (c) otherwise to affect a consumers economic or financial status or standing.

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