Gangster Disciple Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Firebombing and Drug Distribution

<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br &sol;>&NewLine; Wednesday&comma; May 17&comma; 2023<br &sol;>&NewLine; Gangster Disciple Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Firebombing and Drug Distribution<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>All 12 Charged Gang Members Have Pleaded Guilty<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"mh-content-ad"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js&quest;client&equals;ca-pub-9162800720558968"&NewLine; crossorigin&equals;"anonymous"><&sol;script>&NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle"&NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;"&NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article"&NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid"&NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-9162800720558968"&NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1081854981"><&sol;ins>&NewLine;<script>&NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi;&NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>A member of the Gangster Disciples gang pleaded guilty today to a racketeering conspiracy involving his firebombing of a prison guard’s house and the distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Today’s plea marks the 12th and final conviction in the Northern District of Mississippi case against five members of the Gangster Disciples and seven members of the Simon City Royals&comma; a gang aligned with the Gangster Disciples&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>According to court documents&comma; Darrell Steele&comma; 49&comma; of Meridian&comma; Mississippi&comma; was a member of the Gangster Disciples&period; Acting on the orders of high-ranking Gangster Disciples leaders&comma; Steele and other gang members manufactured firebombs to bomb the home of a prison guard who was interfering with the gang’s illegal drug operation within Mississippi state prisons&period; On or about Sept&period; 11&comma; 2019&comma; Steele threw a firebomb into the home where the guard lived with his wife and young children&period; The firebomb malfunctioned&comma; and the guard and his family escaped unharmed&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Steele pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy&period; He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug&period; 16 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison&period; A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U&period;S&period; Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The other 11 defendants in the case have already been sentenced to the following terms of imprisonment&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<table>&NewLine;<tbody>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p><strong>Defendant<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p><strong>Prison Sentence<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Latroy Daniels&comma; aka Duke<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>10 years<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Gregory Moffett&comma; aka Gutta&comma; aka Sir Judah<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>10 years<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Michael Willie&comma; aka OG Mike<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>10 years<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Derrick Houston&comma; aka Psycho<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>16 years and eight months<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Donald Jones&comma; aka Worm<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Seven years and eight months<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Wilton Johnson&comma; aka Big Boi<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Three years and five months<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Jeremy Smith&comma; aka Lil One<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Three years and five months<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Carl McMillian<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Five years and 10 months<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>James Vaughn&comma; aka Sir Flute&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Five years and 10 months<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Justin Hannah<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Eight years and four months<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<tr>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Joe Johnson<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<td>&NewLine;<p>Seven years and eight months<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;td>&NewLine;<&sol;tr>&NewLine;<&sol;tbody>&NewLine;<&sol;table>&NewLine;<p>In a related case&comma; the Criminal Division and the U&period;S&period; Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi are currently prosecuting another 21 members and associates of the Simon City Royals&period; According to court documents&comma; the Gangster Disciples and Simon City Royals were allied under the &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Folk Nation Alliance&period;” Within the Mississippi state prison system and throughout the state of Mississippi&comma; the Gangster Disciples and Simon City Royals worked together to conduct fraud&comma; narcotics trafficking&comma; and other criminal moneymaking schemes&comma; and committed several acts of violence&comma; including assaults and attempted murders&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A&period; Polite&comma; Jr&period; of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division&comma; U&period;S&period; Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi&comma; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the ATF New Orleans Field Division made the announcement&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The ATF&comma; DEA&comma; U&period;S&period; Marshals Service&comma; U&period;S&period; Secret Service&comma; FBI Jackson Field Office&comma; Mississippi Department of Corrections&comma; and local law enforcement agencies across multiple states are investigating the cases&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Trial Attorney Brendan Woods of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U&period;S&period; Attorney Samuel Stringfellow for the Northern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> Topic&lpar;s&rpar;&colon; Violent CrimeComponent&lpar;s&rpar;&colon; <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;atf&period;gov&sol;" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >Bureau of Alcohol&comma; Tobacco&comma; Firearms and Explosives &lpar;ATF&rpar;<&sol;a><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;criminal&sol;" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >Criminal Division<&sol;a><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;criminal-ocgs" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >Criminal &&num;8211&semi; Organized Crime and Gang Section<&sol;a><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;dea&sol;index&period;shtml" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >Drug Enforcement Administration &lpar;DEA&rpar;<&sol;a><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;fbi&period;gov&sol;" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >Federal Bureau of Investigation &lpar;FBI&rpar;<&sol;a><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;usao-ndms" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >USAO &&num;8211&semi; Mississippi&comma; Northern<&sol;a><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;usmarshals&period;gov&sol;" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" >U&period;S&period; Marshals Service<&sol;a>Press Release Number&colon; 23-573 <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> Updated May 17&comma; 2023<a href&equals;https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;opa&sol;pr&sol;gangster-disciple-member-pleads-guilty-racketeering-conspiracy-involving-firebombing-and-drug>Original Article<&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;