Twenty-three gang members and associates indicted on racketeering, drug trafficking, and firearm charges

ATLANTA – A 12-count indictment was unsealed last week in the Northern District of Georgia, charging 23 defendants, all alleged Sex Money Murder (SMM) gang members and associates, with racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, and firearms violations.

“Gang activity poses a grave risk of harm to our communities as well as to many of our institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The defendants charged in this case allegedly perpetrated numerous violent and other criminal offenses, including multiple murders, brutal assaults, and drug trafficking crimes, on behalf of the gang Sex Money Murder. For more than a decade, these gang members and their associates allegedly orchestrated a criminal enterprise within and outside of multiple prisons to earn money for, boost their status in, and impose discipline required by, the gang. This indictment is the culmination of a lengthy and carefully coordinated federal and state law enforcement investigation aimed at dismantling this violent group.”

“The defendants and their criminal associates are alleged to have committed murder, engaged in stabbings and attempted murder, and distributed thousands of dollars’ worth of illicit drugs inside and outside the Georgia prison system, all to enhance the power and prestige of their gang, the Sex Money Murder set of The Bloods,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With this RICO indictment, the Criminal Division, along with our federal, state, and local partners, again shows its commitment to hold accountable and bring to justice violent gang members who terrorize our communities and attempt to control our country’s prison systems.”

“For too long, criminal gangs have wreaked havoc on our streets, destroying families, neighborhoods, and communities. Georgia residents deserve to exist without fear and intimidation inflicted by violent gangs,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “To alleged gang members and others infecting our streets—the FBI and our law enforcement partners will find and prosecute you no matter how long it takes or where you are living.”

“This extremely labor-intensive investigation would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment demonstrated by the investigating Agents, Task Force Officers, and Prosecutors.  These indictments are a culmination of the collaborative efforts by all agencies involved; our communities are safer because of this investigation,” said Dan Salter, the Director of the Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. 

“It’s alarming to think that these criminals were brazen enough to distribute dangerous drugs and commit heinous crimes while behind bars,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “They must now face the consequences.”

“Gang activity inside correctional facilities throughout our state continues to be a challenge, and we are using every resource at our disposal to combat this issue,” said Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver. “As one of Governor Kemp’s initiatives is to fight gang activity, our agents work non-stop with our law enforcement partners statewide, and this is yet another example of that vital collaboration,” continued Oliver. “We appreciate the support of our local, state, and federal partners in ensuring that justice is served on these individuals.”

“With the creation of Georgia’s first statewide Gang Prosecution Unit, we’re working with all levels of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute criminal gang activity wherever it occurs,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “Alongside our partners at the Georgia Department of Corrections, we will continue to hold accountable those who use a contraband cellphone to direct further violence from behind bars. Our top priority is to protect our fellow Georgians, and that’s exactly what we’re fighting to do each day.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: SMM is a national gang and subset of The Bloods gang, which originated in the early 1970s in Los Angeles, California. The SMM subset spread from the Bronx, New York area across the East Coast, including Georgia, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails.

The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which inmates within the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDOC), often using contraband cellphones, orchestrated numerous crimes, including murders, attempted murders, attempted arson, drug trafficking – within and outside the GDOC, and fraud. Eleven of the defendants were in prison when they allegedly committed or ordered the charged offenses. 

The indictment alleges that SMM is organized into subgroups, called “sets” or “lines,” which are responsible for carrying out the affairs of the gang within their individual territories. Typically, each set or line is responsible for representing SMM through the commission of criminal activities, the generation of financial proceeds, the resolution of internal and external conflicts, and the enforcement of strict adherence to SMM rules and protocols. Each set or line has its own “line-up,” or hierarchy of ranked gang members from each territory. A set or line and its leaders fall under higher-ranking national leaders, including the “Royal Flush,” and are ultimately subject to the overall command of “Royal Flush” members.

Certain SMM members hold a specific rank within the gang or within a specific set or line. Specific duties and responsibilities are associated with each rank. The SMM rank structure often includes a delineation between incarcerated members (“behind the wall”) and non-incarcerated members (“on the streets”). In many instances, leadership “behind the wall” also exerts control over membership “on the streets.”

The indictment alleges that the defendants committed multiple acts of violence in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, including that:

• On or about May 10, 2014, following the directive of an SMM leader, four SMM members and associates stormed a home in DeKalb County, Georgia and shot multiple rounds of ammunition into a bathroom, killing a nine-month-old boy.
• On or about March 13, 2017, at Autry State Prison in Pelham, Georgia, defendant Cedric Pierre and another SMM member repeatedly stabbed another inmate on orders from defendant Chase Pinckney.
• On or about October 11, 2017, defendant Demarco Draughn murdered an inmate at Hancock State Prison on orders from defendant Anthony Jernigan because the inmate had allegedly violated one of SMM’s rules.
• On or about March 20, 2019, defendant Rontavious Fowler murdered an inmate at Smith State Prison in Glennville, Georgia.
• On or about May 10, 2020, at Hancock State Prison in Sparta, Georgia, SMM members isolated another SMM member in a prison cell, tied him up, and repeatedly stabbed him on suspicion that the SMM member had allegedly violated one of the gang’s rules.
• On or about May 11, 2020, at GDOC’s Special Management Unit, defendants Demarco Draughn and Rontavious Fowler repeatedly stabbed another inmate, as directed by SMM leadership.
• On or about November 5, 2020, defendant Chase Pinckney authorized the beating of an inmate at Ware State Prison in Waycross, Georgia on suspicion that the inmate had allegedly violated one of SMM’s rules.
• On or about December 9, 2020, an SMM member shot and killed another gang member in Griffin, Georgia, on belief that the member had cooperated with law enforcement.
• Between on or about January 31 through on or about February 4, 2021, defendant Cedric Pierre directed SMM members to set fire to a drug customer’s home in Colbert, Georgia.

The following defendants have been charged in the indictment for conduct related to their alleged roles in the RICO conspiracy and related crimes:

• Ryan Brandt, a/k/a Street Life and Robert Kraft, 44, of Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring, aiding and abetting, and possessing a controlled substance and a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;

• Kyle Oree, a/k/a Nasty Nu, 52, of Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance and a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;

• Chase Pinckney, a/k/a Chase Pickney, Three Shots, Noriega, and Sinatra, 38, of Ware State Prison in Waycross, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Elton Jackson, a/k/a 2gz and John Madden, 41, of Telfair State Prison in Helena, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Sean Carr, a/k/a Nut and Nutkase, 51, of FCI Talladega in Talladega, Alabama, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Lavorsia Jones, a/k/a Shitbag, 23, of Dacula, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring, attempting, and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;

• Danielle Ford, 49, of Ellenwood, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute;

• Charlton King, a/k/a Hell’s Militant Camp, 23 of Valdosta, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;

• Demarco Draughn, a/k/a Shoota B, 28, of Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;

• Richard Smith, a/k/a Alleyway and Brett Favre, 36, of Ware State Prison in Waycross, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Rontavious Fowler, a/k/a Lil Hot, 26, of Hancock State Prison in Sparta, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;

• Shavon Thomas, a/k/a Shavon Edwards, 55, of Decatur, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Lionel Edwards, a/k/a Tony, Tyson, and Python, 41, of USP Florence in Florence, Colorado, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Anthony Jernigan, a/k/a Hell Raiser, 36, of Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy;

• Cedric Pierre, a/k/a Flip, 23, of Robert A. Deyton Correctional Facility in Lovejoy, Georgia, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Ricardo Sanchez, 40, of Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Troy McCraine, 57, of Tennessee, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Qawwee Mitchell, 36, of Gainesville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime;

• Sherri Gandy-Torres, 56, of Lakeland, Florida, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Nyla Blacknell, 43, of Duluth, state, is charged with conspiring to possess and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and carrying a firearm during and in relation to of a drug trafficking crime;

• Tracey Wise, 46, Milledgeville, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Shounnette Wooten, 50, of Gray, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute; and

• Kierra Williams, 31, of Haddock, Georgia, is charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and possessing a controlled substance analogue with the intent to distribute.

Nine of the defendants were arrested on November 8, 2023 and appeared in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Georgia and Albany, Georgia the same day.  Eight additional defendants were arraigned in Atlanta on November 9, 2023.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and Drug Enforcement Administration, and Georgia Department of Corrections, with valuable assistance from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshals Service, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Georgia State Patrol, Brookhaven Police Department, Butts County Sheriff’s Office, DeKalb County Police Department, Douglasville Police Department, East Point Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County Police Department, Marietta Police Department, Riverdale Police Department, Sandy Springs Police Department, and South Fulton Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg of the Northern District of Georgia, and Trial Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering (VICAR) Section are prosecuting the case, and former VICAR Trial Attorney Rebecca R. Dunnan previously prosecuted the case.

The indictment is a result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations. The OCDETF mission is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency task force approach. OCDETF synchronizes and incentivizes prosecutors and agents to lead smart, creative investigations targeting the command-and-control networks of organized criminal groups and the illicit financiers that support them. Additional information about the OCDETF Program may be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.