\n
Three defendants in a large racketeering case involving the Five Deuce Broadway Gangster Crips plead guilty to federal charges including murder conspiracy, officials announced Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n Martinez is facing up to life in \u00a0prison.<\/span><\/p>\n Martinez was among 72 charged in a RICO indictment that targeted the Gangster Crips, a street gang that claims territory in South Los Angeles and controls drug sales in an area just west of the \u201cSkid Row\u201d district of Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n The indictment outlined two decades of criminal conduct, including murders, robberies, extortion, illegal firearms possession, witness intimidation and narcotics trafficking.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the past several weeks, two other key defendants named in a 213-page RICO indictment have plead guilty. <\/span><\/p>\n Tracy Harris, aka \u201cWoody,\u201d 51, of Inglewood, plead guilty on Aug. 5 to racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to sell methamphetamine after having been convicted of a prior drug felony, and selling methamphetamine near schools. <\/span><\/p>\n On July 27, Roosevelt Sumpter, aka \u201cTuTu,\u201d 43, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, illegally possessing a firearm, and selling crack cocaine near schools. Harris and Sumpter are also facing up to life in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n In plea agreements filed in federal court, these defendants specifically admitted the following:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Martinez and Harris were two of the gang\u2019s supervisors, and Sumpter was a veteran \u201cOG\u201d member<\/span><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Martinez was a leader of the \u201cGremlin Riderz,\u201d which served as the gang\u2019s \u201chit squad\u201d and whose members bore tattoos from the 1984 movie \u201cGremlins\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Martinez conspired with other BGC members to murder a fellow gang member who had provided law enforcement information regarding a 2012 BGC gang shooting that killed an unarmed teenager with no gang affiliation and wounded three others, including a 10-year-old girl<\/span><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Martinez directed the group assault of another BGC member who had also provided information to law enforcement regarding a BGC murder (that fellow gang member was also later murdered in a case that remains under investigation)<\/span><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Martinez \u201cdirect[ed] the killing of rivals\u201d and discussed the stabbing of a man by a BGC member in front of the victim\u2019s baby because the man was in BGC territory without permission<\/span><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Harris presided over large gang meetings in which he called for enhancing the operations of the gang and increasing punishments for those who violated gang rules<\/span><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Martinez and Sumpter were two of the gang\u2019s \u201ccentral drug suppliers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Martinez and Harris are scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 19. Sumpter is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 7.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThese defendants have now pled guilty to orchestrating a campaign of violence and drug trafficking, bringing danger to the local community and to schools,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. \u201cIn addition to committing many acts of violence, this gang preyed upon the marginalized residents of Skid Row with illegal drug sales. Cases like this one targeting the leadership and membership of criminal street gangs show my office\u2019s dedication to ridding neighborhoods of gang activity through partnerships with federal and local law enforcement agencies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Seventy-one of the defendants named in the indictment have now appeared in federal court to face charges in the indictment (the final defendant is in state custody), which include conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), violent crimes in aid of racketeering, a series of robberies that targeted bank customers, weapons offenses, and various drug trafficking charges. <\/span><\/p>\n Six other top defendants in the case are scheduled to go on trial Jan. 3.<\/span><\/p>\n Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Three defendants in a large racketeering case involving the Five Deuce Broadway Gangster Crips plead guilty to federal charges including murder conspiracy, officials announced Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,3],"tags":[2996,54],"class_list":["post-26504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-main-slider","category-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-broadway-gangster-crips","tag-los-angeles"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/U.S.-Courthouse-Los-Angeles-e1435018436246-300x188.jpg\")
Tyrine Martinez, also known as \u201cLil\u2019 C-Bone,\u201d 36, of Los Angeles, plead guilty Wednesday to racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to commit murder, conspiring to traffic crack cocaine, illegally possessing a firearm and selling crack cocaine near schools.<\/span><\/p>\n