Bounty Hunter Bloods Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Acts

NORFOLK, VA—Jamel Spaights, 28, of Portsmouth, Virginia pled guilty today in Norfolk federal court to participating in a pattern of racketeering activity (RICO) including conspiring to commit murder, attempted murder and conspiring to distribute controlled substances. He also pled guilty to possession of a firearm in a crime of violence. Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement today. Spaights entered his guilty plea before United States District Judge Jerome B. Friedman. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, 2010, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

According to court documents, between 2005 and 2007, Spaights and others possessed and distributed powder cocaine, 50 grams or more of crack cocaine, and 1000 tablets or more of Ecstasy. On October 16, 2006, Spaights and two others drove around the Craddock area of Portsmouth looking for someone who was a witness in the murder of Darius Powell. The witness was located and they chased him down in their vehicle. Spaights, who was armed with a 9mm handgun, shot at, but missed the witness. During the chase, Spaights’ vehicle crashed into a residence and they fled from the scene. In his haste to flee, Spaights dropped his firearm which was recovered by the Portsmouth Police.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Portsmouth and Suffolk Police Departments and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys William Muhr and Melissa O’Boyle 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.