Racketeering, such as the alleged charges today, brazenly facilitates all kinds of illegal dealings that negatively affect the community. Hoover was born on November 30, 1950 in Jackson, Mississippi. Khalalah Jackson, whose husband was freed from prison under the First Step Act in November, was among those at the Robbins food giveaway. Derrick Kennedy Crumpton, aka "38," 32, of Memphis, served as Gangster Disciples leader in Tennessee; Demarcus Deon Crawford, aka "Trip," 32, of Jackson, served as leader of security in Tennessee; Henry Curtis Cooper, aka "Big Hen," 36, of Memphis, served as leader of security in Tennessee; 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. John Harrell, pastor of Proviso Missionary Baptist Church in Maywood. Perry Harris, 29, of Cape Girardeau, an alleged Treasurer and Chief of Security for the state of Missouri, is charged with RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and related firearms crimes. An official website of the United States government. According to the Chicago police, the Gangster Disciples and other big Chicago gangs have, over the past two decades, fragmented into factions that arent controlled at the top the way they used to be. While in state prison for ordering the killing of a gang member in Chicago in 1973, he was sentenced in 1998 to life in federal prison for running a criminal enterprise the Gangster Disciples . Craig . Formed in 1974 as a 60-man operation, the GD has matured into a centralized criminal organization with nearly 30,000 members in Chicago and spreading into at least 35 other States with several thousand more members. Ex-Gangster Disciples 'governor' James Yates now distributes food boxes 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. Among the crimes alleged in the indictment are two gang-related murders. Official websites use .gov Twenty-two members of the Black Disciple Gangster Nation received indictments for murder in 2016 including one county police officer who warned gang members about police raids and acted as a hitman. Mobely, Glass, Craig, ONeal, Covington and Travis Riley, 35, of Wichita, Kansas are also charged with various drug distribution crimes and Mobely and Glass are further charged with related firearms crimes. The F.B.I. "Right in front of the camera. The federal indictment was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. Hoover got arrested and went to prison and continued to run the gang from behind bars. The organization is ruled by a national leadership of a corporate board-style group, prosecutors said during a three-week trial. 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. released a report in 2011 that revealed that at least 53 gangs are represented in the military, particularly the branches of the Army. "By arresting these particular king pins we were actually taking off a lot of drugs, but more importantly we were stopping a lot of the violence," Sanders said. Criminal - Organized Crime and Gang Section. Contact reporter Heather Fountaine athfountaine@whas11.comand follow her onTwitter (@WHAS11Heather)andFacebook. 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. Four dozen members of the violent Gangster Disciples gang, including a leader in California and a police officer in Georgia who acted as a . Fifteen individuals were taken into custody today and one remains at large. Count: The geographic divisions of the Gangster Disciples are called "counts" or "decks.". The health and well-being of our citizens is one of my highest priorities, the presidents letter said. John Harrell, pastor of Proviso Missionary Baptist Church in Maywood, says his Black Men United group has organized many large food drives in the Chicago area and in other parts of the country this year. But recent indictments against Gangster Disciples members downstate and in Atlanta suggest that the corporate structure of the gang has remained in place. Its like 1960 or 1950, Yates says. This is just one of the more than three dozen gangs found all over Tipton County. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. You always have naysayers, he says. Moore questioned why prosecutors who previously have said they suspected Hoover was still involved in the gang hadnt brought up the latest accusation during arguments over Hoovers bid for a reduced sentence. Tommy Lee Wilkins (Holloway), aka Tommy Gunz, 28, of Memphis, was a member of the security team in Memphis. The Black Gangster Disciples became known as, "a young street organization striving for a place of high recognition and respect in the City of Chicago" (Emery, n.d., p. 11). 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. But there are far fewer people with the wherewithal to lead organizations like the Gangster Disciples. This case results from investigations by ATF, FBI, Federal Bureau of Prisons, IRS Criminal Investigation, Missouri Department of Corrections, Illinois State Police, the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, Bridgeton Police Department, Cape Girardeau Police Department, and Chicago Police Department. 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. One shows an incident in 2003 of how gangs use children to distribute drug. The FBIs Safe Streets Gang Task Forces recognize no boundaries either, and we are committed to identifying, disrupting and dismantling the most violent gangs that seek to harm our communities. Before that, he spent several years working for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Chicago, as the Special Agent in Charge during the early 2000s, describing the gang as having ranks, like a military. LOUISVILLE, Ky. A group of seven men were indicted on federal racketeering charges in connection to the violent Gangster Disciples gang including an alleged high-ranking member originally from Kentucky, according to a release from the United States Department of Justice. Barry Boyce, 44, of Charleston, Missouri, an alleged member of the gang, is charged with RICO conspiracy. Their children got toys. He's currently being held at a federal prison in Ashland, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. of Community Supervision, GA Dept. Gangster Disciples (Folk Nation): Prison Gang Profile 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. According to court documents, the Gangster Disciples is a national gang active in more than 24 states with a highly organized structure including board members and governor-of-governors who each controlled geographic regions; governors, assistant governors, chief enforcers and chiefs of security for each state or regions within the state where the Gangster Disciples were active; and coordinators and leaders within each local group. The indictment alleges he was conspiring with Anthony Dobbins, another board member, who was among those arrested. 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. 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. And I said, Absolutely. . April 4, law enforcement in Memphis and Atlanta announced a major bust which they said resulted in the arrest ofdozens of leaders in GD. Craig was a Board Member, the highest-ranking position in the Gangster Disciples. The Black Disciple Gangster Nation was responsible for the death of Army sergeant Juwan Williams during a brutal initiation beating that included kicks to the head. ", Ninjas: Oftentimes members of the enforcement teams are known as "ninjas" or "UFOs.". 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. Hoover has asked a federal judge in Chicago to reduce his life sentence under a reform measure called the federal First Step Act, which allows people convicted of crack-cocaine offenses to challenge their sentences in light of subsequent changes in federal sentencing guidelines. Members of the gang identify themselves with the six-point Star of David, and pitchforks coming out the top. 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. "They were very disciplined, very organized," Sanders said. Governor: Head of the state organization, or "count," of the Gangster Disciples. 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.. The other shows a gang-related shooting captured by police cameras in the middle of the day. 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. We hope this indictment warns the leaders of these gangs that Atlanta is not a good place to do business., As the indictment alleges, the Gangster Disciples flooded communities throughout the southeast and beyond with large amounts of drugs, and ruthlessly used fear, intimidation, and even murder to promote and protect their nationwide criminal enterprise, said U.S. Attorney Stanton. Today, hes distributing a different kind of commodity in those same suburbs: food. Racketeering, such as the alleged charges today, brazenly facilitates all kinds of illegal dealings that negatively affect the community. "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.". With the charges unsealed today, we are taking an important, powerful step in the fight to disrupt and dismantle gangs operating in this region. DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that the information obtained using InfoTracer searches may not always be accurate and up to date as we do not create, verify, or guarantee the accuracy or the amount of information provided through our service. They're controlled by a chairman of the board, and then they have a board of directors, one in prison, one outside below those people are the governors and they control the territories," Sanders said. For more information on the indictment on the Gangster Disciples members, click here. 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. Life on a third straight one-year contract with the mega-talented Astros isnt bad at all. Attorneys Jerry Kitchen, Samuel Stringfellow, Beth Boswell, and Michelle Parks of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Tennessee. Governor of Governors: Regional officer in charge of the governors. You've got grandfathers, fathers and sons all members of a gang, said Jeffersontown Police Chief Rick Sanders. We have strong partnerships with Federal agencies and are dedicated to thwarting gang violence. 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. He and seven other high-ranking members of the Gangster Disciples have been released from prison under the 2018 law, signed by President Donald Trump with bipartisan support, intended to promote rehabilitation and cut the costs of incarceration. The gang employs a structured hierarchy, with leadership positions such as national Board Members and state Governors. Each of the defendants is alleged to be a member or leader of the Gangster Disciples and to have conspired to conduct the gangs affairs through a pattern of racketeering. Theres been a need for years.. The Gangster Disciples is highly structured, disciplined and deadly, according to U.S. Attorney John Horn in Atlanta. Leaders of street gang Gangster Disciples sentenced to prison The leader of each count is called a "First Coordinator" or "First C."A "Regent" is a leader responsible for several counts within a state. A 16-count indictment was returned by a grand jury on April 22, and unsealed today in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Tennessee. The two rival gangsters united together to form the Black Gangster Disciple Nation ( BGDN ). sweeping racketeering indictment against the Gangster Disciples. Tackling issues related to criminal enterprises and gang-related activities are paramount to addressing violence in any city. Utilizing firearms to injure or intimidate others cannot be tolerated and there is no question that the public is safer today because of the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of all of the agencies that played a part in this investigation., Todays indictment is a result of investigative efforts in our Fairview Heights Resident Agency and strong partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, said Sean Cox, FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge. He asks, Can we do this in Robbins? Harrell says. 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. 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. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms says the Black Disciple Gangster Nation remains strong, with 30,000 members around Chicago and in 30 other states. 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. Gangster Disciple arrests include 2 working in East St. Louis how interested you are in the Fire, whose season begins Saturday against New York City FC at Soldier Field. The judge hasnt ruled. Criminal Investigation is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners in this case to bring these criminals to justice.. 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. 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. 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. The gang protected its power and operation through threats, intimidation and violence, including murder, attempted murder, assault and obstruction of justice. Dominque Maxwell, 28, of Cape Girardeau, the alleged Assistant 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. Volunteers unload hundreds of boxes containing food during an Oct. 15 giveaway in Robbins. I had this strong desire to come back here and try to correct or fix some of the stuff that we played a part in messing up, Yates says as he directed a crew unloading boxes of food from trucks earlier this month as part of the Revitalization of Robbins Initiative he has started. After a somewhat-quiet offseason, the Fire are widely picked to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and miss the playoffs again. It seems almost impossible that he would be able to communicate that to anyone if he were trying to, he said. See GD. At the top of the national group is the "Chairman," a man known as L.H. The Black Gangster Disciples was a gang from chicago that ended up splitting into two separate gangs in the 90s (black disciples (BGDs) and gangster disciples (GDs)).Some gangs still hold the black gangster disciple name out of chicago and never split up. (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 . 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. Several Black Disciple Gangster Nation members were sentenced to prison in 2014, for shooting up an apartment complex in Memphis in retaliation for intimidating a member. Rev. [citation . The federal indictment was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. The "Literature Coordinator" maintains contact lists, meeting minutes, membership applications, and other documents. The median income of Robbins, a town of 5,400 a few miles south of Chicago, is only $13,000, according to the last census. As one member of Yates crew flipped burgers on a grill and another worked a DJ booth, parents pulled up in cars, kids in tow. 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. In addition to the RICO conspiracy, all 16 defendants are charged with a cocaine-distribution conspiracy, and Crawford, Shaw, Taylor, Champion and Bowers are charged with seven counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering and using a firearm during the commission of those offenses. The indictment filed by federal prosecutors accuses Griffin, also known as 'GG' and 'Big Head' of murdering a rival Gangster Disciples board member in Chicago back in 2018. according to a release from the United States Department of Justice. The indictment describes the Gangster Disciples as a violent gang with a long history of lawlessness in the United States. Sanders said hes happy to be back policing in his hometown of Louisville, but shakes his head at the uptick of killings as of late. The Governor-of-Governors and Governors set member recruitment goals, enforce gang rules, collect and disperse dues and funds, and approve criminal activity to be carried out by gang members. Gang members had suspected the second man might do the same, prosecutors said. "He's checking the money to make sure it's real," Sanders detailed. The Memphis RICO conspiracy indictment names the following defendants and their alleged roles within the Gangster Disciples: Byron Montrail Purdy, aka Lil B or Ghetto, 37, of Jackson, Tennessee, served as Gangster Disciples leader in Tennessee; Derrick Kennedy Crumpton, aka 38, 32, of Memphis, served as Gangster Disciples leader in Tennessee; Demarcus Deon Crawford, aka Trip, 32, of Jackson, served as leader of security in Tennessee; Henry Curtis Cooper, aka Big Hen, 36, of Memphis, served as leader of security in Tennessee; Rico Terrell Harris, aka Big Brim, 43, of Memphis, served as leader of security in Tennessee; Shamar Anthony James, aka Lionheart, 37, of Memphis, held the rank of governor of a region in Memphis; Demario Demont Sprouse, aka Taco, 35, of Memphis, held the rank of chief of security of a region in Memphis; Robert Elliott Jones, aka Lil Rob or Mac Rob, 36, of Memphis, held the rank of governor of a region in Memphis; Denton Suggs, aka Denny Mo or Diddy Mo,40, of Memphis, held the rank of chief of security in a section of Memphis; Santiago Megale Shaw, aka Mac-T, 23, of Jackson, was a member of the security team or blackout squad in Jackson; Tarius Montez Taylor, aka T, 26, of Jackson, was a member of the security team or blackout squad in Jackson; Tommy Earl Champion Jr., aka Duct Tape, 27, of Jackson, held the rank of chief of security of Jackson; Cory Dewayne Bowers, aka Bear Wayne, 32, of Jackson, was associated with the Gangster Disciples and acted as a member of the security team in Jackson; Gerald Eugene Hampton, aka G30, 30, of Jackson, held the rank of assistant chief of security and was a member of the security teams blackout squad in Jackson; Daniel Lee Cole, aka D-Money, 37, of Jackson, acted as assistant governor and assistant education coordinator for the Gangster Disciples in Jackson; and. Larry Hoover - Gangster, Age & Life - Biography