Baltimore BGF Member Pleads Guilty To 2013 Murder Of Witness

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          Contact ELIZABETH MORSE

www.justice.gov/usao/md                                                                 at (410) 209-4885

Baltimore, Maryland – Wesley Jamal Brown, a/k/a “Wes,” age 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise known as the Black Guerilla Family’s Greenmount Avenue Regime.  As part of his plea agreement, Brown admitted that on May 2, 2013, he murdered a witness to prevent him from testifying against a fellow BGF member in a pending state case.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Daniel Board of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Gordon Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

According to his plea agreement and court documents, Brown was a member of the BGF Greenmount Regime, formerly known as the Young Guerilla Family, or YGF.  Between 2005 and September 2017, Brown agreed with other BGF members to engage in crimes to further the interest of the gang, including drug distribution, murder, robbery, witness tampering, and witness retaliation.  Brown admitted that he personally engaged in drug trafficking and murder in furtherance of BGF.

Specifically, Brown admitted that on or about April 26, 2013, he possessed with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin.  Brown further admitted that on or about June 20, 2013, he possessed 51 grams of heroin and a quantity of cocaine that he planned to sell. 

Brown further admitted that on or about May 2, 2013, in the 600 block of Cokesbury Avenue, he shot and killed Moses Malone with a .22 caliber handgun.  In the weeks before his death, Malone had been the victim of a robbery and shooting committed by a member of the BGF Greenmount Regime.  On April 19, 2013, Malone identified the BGF member who robbed and shot him during an interview with Baltimore Police officers.  Brown admitted that he shot and killed Malone to prevent him from testifying against his fellow BGF member in the pending state case. 

According to his plea agreement, Brown further admitted that in the days following Malone’s murder, he requested assistance from another BGF member in disposing of the .22 caliber handgun that he had used to kill Malone.  Brown told the other BGF member that the handgun was “dirty” because he had used it to shoot a witness (i.e., Malone) who had implicated a member of the BGF Greenmount Regime in a crime.

Brown admitted that on or about May 12, 2013, he exchanged text messages with a BGF associate, in which he agreed to sell the .22 caliber handgun that he had used to kill Malone for $250. 

United States District Judge Bredar has scheduled Brown’s sentencing for February 5, 2018.   Brown remains detained pending sentencing. 

Acting United States Attorney Schenning commended ATF Baltimore, FBI Baltimore, the Baltimore City Police Department, and the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Peter J. Martinez and Christina A. Hoffman, who are prosecuting the case.