Defendants Convicted for Racketeering Conspiracy to Commit Violent Robberies, Murder of Off-Duty Reserve Police Officer

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – Following a three-week jury trial in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke, six individuals were convicted for their role in a RICO conspiracy that was responsible for the abduction and murder of a Waynesboro Police Department reserve officer, as well as multiple armed robberies and home invasions, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced today.

Daniel Lamont Mathis, 20, of Charlottesville, Va., Shantai Monique Shelton, 26, of Charlottesville, Va., Mersadies Lachelle Shelton, 22, of Charlottesville, Va., Anthony Darnell Stokes, 33, of Manassas, Va., Halisi Uhuru, 24, of Danville, Va., and Kweli Uhuru, 25, of Winchester, Va., were found guilty today following more than eight hours of jury deliberation in the United States District Court in Roanoke.

At trial, the evidence established that Halisi Uhuru, Anthony Stokes and Kweli Uhuru formed the 99 Goon Syndikate, a set of the Bloods criminal street gang, while in prison.  All three were released from prison in 2013.  Kweli Uhuru recruited his brothers and the Shelton/Mathis siblings to join the gang in the summer of 2013 by persuading them of the easy money and respect earned as a gang member.  By October 2013, this violent criminal street gang began committing criminal acts throughout Central Virginia.

Over the ensuing months, the gang members robbed convenience stores, burglarized or robbed homeowners, sold narcotics and ultimately abducted and murdered Captain Kevin Quick of the Waynesboro Police Department Reserves.  Tragically, Captain Quick was in the wrong place at the wrong time on the evening hours of January 31, 2014.  Quick was on his way to visit his sick child at the same time the gang wanted to commit a carjacking.  When he arrived in the parking lot and exited his vehicle, the gang members abducted the unarmed Captain Quick at gunpoint and drove him to Fluvanna, where they forced him to disclose his ATM PIN code at gunpoint.  After obtaining his code, the gang members took him into the woods and shot and killed him.

Two days later, gang members Daniel Mathis and Mersadies Shelton attempted to rob a Louisa homeowner who fought back after Mathis threatened a toddler and pistol whipped a female at the residence.  During the melee, Mathis lost the magazine to his .40 caliber pistol and shot one of the residents while he escaped.   The gang members then reached out to their leadership in Northern Virginia in an effort to escape to Montana.  Halisi Uhuru sent Anthony Stokes from Manassas to Louisa in the middle of the night to bring the fellow gang members away from the scene of their crimes.

While in Northern Virginia, the leadership provided the gang members with food, shelter and helped them destroy evidence associated with the murder of Captain Quick, including the murder weapon.  Law enforcement caught up with them the night they planned to escape to Montana on February 4, 2014.  Two days later, Captain Quick’s body was found off a remote logging road in Goochland County, Virginia.   

“The investigation and prosecution of this dangerous group of Bloods street gang members is an example of the commitment of my office and the Department of Justice to addressing violent crime and the proliferation of gangs in our community,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. “The federal RICO statute allowed us to try thirteen violent crimes from six jurisdictions in one trial. The verdict today is a testament to the type of  critically important work that can be done when local, state and federal officials come together to keep our neighborhoods safe. This case sends a message that participating in gang activity leads to nowhere but prison. We will continue to work with our community partners to keep young people away from street gangs and toward more positive pursuits.”

“This case clearly illustrates the threat of national gangs to our nation and defeats the notion that violent street gangs are confined to the inner-city.  The senseless murder of Officer Kevin Quick – someone who chose the professional path of keeping people safe – demonstrates the misery and destruction gangs bring to our communities,” said Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Division.  “I want to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their expertise in bringing the prosecution to a successful conclusion.  I want to thank the Virginia State Police and the Waynesboro Police Department for their partnership.  I would also like to thank the FBI special agent who spearheaded this investigation and navigated significant obstacles as part of investigating a vicious and notorious national gang.”

“This investigation, with its breadth and complexities, is a leading example of what can be accomplished by the cooperative, determined efforts of so many at the local, state and federal levels,” said Col. W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “We thank the jury for their astute attention and dedication to justice for Kevin Quick and the multitude of others impacted by these crimes.”

“This gang terrorized our small rural community for five months and today justice was served on behalf of Kevin Quick and 23 victims across Central Virginia.  Nothing can change the scars left by the actions of this group but we hope the families and victims can move on knowing that eight hours of jury deliberation, more than three weeks of trial and over 10,000 hours of investigation delivered justice” said Rusty E. McGuire.

“On Superbowl Sunday, a Louisa resident fought back against a group of thugs who tried to rob his family.  Our worst fears came true when we realized the vehicle driven by the robbers turned out to be Captain Quick’s SUV.  Since then the most professional team of investigators and prosecutors have worked together to bring justice for the victims and the family of Captain Quick” said Louisa Sheriff Ashland Fortune.

“It is our sincere hope that today’s jury verdict will finally allow the friends and family of Kevin Wayne Quick to begin healing from this tragic loss,” said Waynesboro Police Chief Michael D. Wilhelm.  “We would also like express our gratitude to the prosecution and investigative teams as well as the members of the jury for the sacrifices they made to bring this case to justice.”

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Virginia State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, the Albemarle County Police Department, the Charlottesville City Police Department, the Waynesboro Police Department, the Henrico County Police Department, the Gordonsville Police Department, the Goochland County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Fluvanna County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Prince William County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Ronald M. Huber, Christopher Kavanaugh and Louisa County Commonwealth’s Attorney and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rusty E. McGuire prosecuted the case for the United States. Victim and Witness specialists with the United States Attorney’s Office, assisted by Victim and Witness specialists from the FBI, Albemarle County and Louisa County, provided substantial assistance in support of the prosecution.