DOJ indicts 9 Crips gang members for ‘wave of violence'
June 19 (UPI) -- The Justice Department has charged nine members of the Eastside Rollin' 20s Crips gang with a 12-count indictment that includes attempted murder, narcotics trafficking and conspiracy, among other charges.
"As alleged, RTC members unleashed a wave of violence across three states and the District of Columbia, extending down the East Coast to Florida. Their commission of brutal, indiscriminate acts over perceived slights on social media reflects a particularly dangerous form of gang activity," Justice Department Criminal Division head Matthew R. Galeotti said in a statement after the indictment was unsealed Wednesday.
The indictment alleges the RTC members and associates charged "committed numerous violent acts on behalf of the RTC," including a June 2022 murder in Alexandria, Va. ; a July 2021 attempted shooting of several individuals in the District of Columbia; an August 2021 armed robbery and pistol whipping of an individual in Hollywood, Fla.; and a January 2021 attempted murder of two individuals in Winston-Salem, N.C.
According to the Justice Department, RTC also obtained and distributed multi-kilogram quantities of pressed fentanyl pills and recruited children "to commit crimes on behalf of the gang, including acts of violence and drug trafficking."
"Any of these elements alone -- from violence to illegal drugs to identity theft -- is enough to destroy communities and lives, and these organizations employ them without compunction," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik S. Siebert said in a statement.
"Through coordination with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, we are determined to eradicate criminal gangs and protect our citizens from the detriment they bring."
The nine defendants face up to life in prison or the death penalty for murder in aid of racketeering and use of a firearm during a crime of violence causing death.
A racketeering conspiracy charge also carries a penalty up to life in prison. The other serious felonies include up to twenty-five years for straw purchasing of guns, up to twenty years for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and up to 10 years for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.
The DOJ said this case "is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."
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