A federal jury in Norfolk, Virginia, convicted three men yesterday of conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ronald Jenkins, 42, of Franklin, Virginia; Japree Brooks, 40, of Murfreesboro, North Carolina; and Malik Newsome, 30, of Ivor, Virginia, participated in three shootings in 2017 and 2019 in Franklin, Virginia.
All three men were members or associates of a blood-affiliated gang that operated in Franklin. The gang engaged primarily in narcotics trafficking, as well as some robberies and beatings to protect their territory.
When a rival Crip-affiliated gang murdered a high-ranking member of their gang, the gang hunted down and shot several members of the Crip-affiliated gang.
All three defendants were convicted of conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering; Brooks and Jenkins were convicted of attempted murder in aid of racketeering; Brooks was convicted of discharge, carry, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence; Jenkins was convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition; and Brooks and Newsome were each convicted of witness tampering.
Jenkins faces a maximum penalty of 30 years and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2024. Brooks faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18.
Newsome faces a maximum penalty of 30 years and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23.
The ATF, HSI, the Franklin Police Department, and the Southampton County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Taylor for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.