Nine Trey Gangster Sentenced to More Than Nine Years

RICHMOND, VA—Ricky Timothy Wyatt, Jr., a.k.a. “Knuckles,” 27, of Petersburg, Virginia, was sentenced today to 114 months’ in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on charges of possession of firearms by a convicted felon and manufacturing counterfeit currency.

Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jeffrey C. Mazanec, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Richmond Field Office; Kathy A. Michalko, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Washington Field Office; and John I. Dixon, III, Chief of Police, City of Petersburg, made the announcement after the sentence was imposed today by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

To date, more than one dozen members of the Nine Trey Gangster (NTG) organization have been indicted and convicted of various federal charges involving illegal firearms, manufacturing counterfeit currency, and drug trafficking. Charges against more than one dozen other Nine Trey Gangsters are currently pending.

Wyatt, who proceeded to trial on September 26, 2013, was convicted on September 27, 2013, on all six counts in the criminal indictment. At the sentencing hearing today, the United States introduced evidence showing that Wyatt was in charge of NTG members in Petersburg, Virginia, and elsewhere, and that he was responsible for leading a group involving five or more people or that was otherwise extensive. The United States linked the firearms he illegally possessed and his manufacturing of counterfeit currency to Wyatt’s leadership role in the Nine Trey Gangsters, where Wyatt held the rank of “Lo Stain.”

NTG is part of the United Blood Nation (UBN). UBN was the first unified Blood gang alliance on the East Coast and started on Riker’s Island at the George Machen Detention Center in the New York City jail system. There were five original sets under the UBN, one of which was NTG, which was formed in 1993. Since its inception, NTG has been one of the most active East Coast Blood gang sets. NTG has spread across the eastern United States, and the FBI and numerous dedicated gang task forces have undertaken a long-term investigation of NTG activities in Virginia and neighboring states. NTG members are organized into “line-ups.” There were multiple active line-ups in Virginia and elsewhere under Wyatt’s control. The “High Stain” appoints a Lo Stain who has generals ranking from five stars down to one star reporting to him. “Soldiers” are the lowest ranking members in the gang. The High Stain of each line up reports to two Godfathers, both of whom are in New York. At NTG meetings, dues were collected, a portion of which was sent to NTG leadership in New York. In addition, meetings included assigning discipline to NTG members who violated NTG codes. Discipline may involve a loss of rank or a 31-second beating.

This case was initiated and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation Full Blooded Ink. Assistant United States Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller 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.justice.gov/usao/vae.