Founder of Bounty Hunter Bloods Gang Sentenced to Life Plus 10 Years in Prison

NORFOLK, VA—James Alexander Mack, 25, of Portsmouth, Virgina, was sentenced today in Norfolk federal court to Life in prison plus 10 years for violent crimes he committed as the founder and one of the top leaders of the Bounty Hunter Bloods/Nine Tech Gangster, a street gang that operated in various neighborhoods in Portsmouth, Suffolk and Chesapeake.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement today after Mack was sentenced by United States District Judge Jerome B. Friedman.

“James Mack founded a violent gang that terrorized neighborhoods in Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Chesapeake,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Residents can feel safer knowing that law enforcement is committed to putting gangsters like Mack behind bars for the rest of their lives.”

In June 2010, Mack pled guilty to one RICO count and one count of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. The RICO count includes various racketeering acts in which Mack participated as a gang member, including attempted murder, robberies and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Court documents state that in the summer of 2006, Mack and a fellow gang member robbed an individual who was sitting in his automobile with a female in the Cavalier Manor neighborhood of Portsmouth, Virginia. They made the victim take his pants off and forced him into his residence where they robbed him of money and jewelry. On another occasion, Mack shot at and attempted to kill an individual who had sold two guns to Mack and one of the guns did not work properly. Also in the summer of 2006, Mack and some fellow gang members beat and robbed individuals who were associated with a rival gang. In February 2007, Mack and fellow gang members robbed an owner of a convenience store in Portsmouth, Virginia. They followed the owner home and when the owner attempted to run they shot him in the hip and leg. In April 2007, Mack and fellow gang members conducted a home invasion, robbing the victims at gun point with a 2-year-old infant present in the residence in Chesapeake, Virginia. Also in April, 2007, Mack and fellow gang members conducted a home invasion at a home in Portsmouth, Va. The two individuals inside were pistol whipped and beaten, and one of them dove out the window to avoid being shot. In May 2007, Mack and fellow gang members robbed a convenience store in Portsmouth, Va., wearing blue bandanas on their faces so that it would appear that a rival gang conducted the robbery. In January 2008, Mack and fellow gang members conducted a home invasion at a residence in Chesapeake, Va. The victim was in the process of renting out her home to the girlfriend of one of the gang members. During a walkthrough of the residence, a safe was spotted in the master bedroom, prompting Mack and fellow gang members to plan a home invasion. The victim was held at gun point and pistol whipped. The gang members fled when the screams of the victim came to the attention of the neighbors. Mack was also heavily involved in the distribution of illegal narcotics in Portsmouth and Suffolk, Virginia.

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 prosecuted 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.