Dump Squad Gang Member Sentenced to 40 Years
Gang Member Attempted to Burn Newport News Police HIP Station

NEWPORT NEWS, VA—Cordero B. Ellis, 22, of Newport News, Va., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to commit numerous acts of violence perpetrated by a criminal street gang known as the “Dump Squad.” Ellis pled guilty on September 3, 2009, to a racketeering conspiracy, discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and conspiracy to burn the Newport News Police High Impact Patrol Station located in the Harbor Homes apartment complex in Newport News.
           
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.
           
According to court documents, Ellis was a founding member of the “Dump Squad,” a criminal street gang that grew from a national gang known as the “Bloods” and operated in the Ridley Circle, Harbor Homes and Dickerson Court areas of Newport News. Ellis and fellow gang members protected their territory through acts of violence that allowed the members to earn money through robberies and the sale of controlled substances. He was the leader in the arson at the Newport News Police Station. 
           
This case was investigated by the FBI, Newport News Police Department, the Hampton Police Department, and Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Tayman and Robert Bradenham, II are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.