Six “Gangster Disciples”, including the “Enforcer” for the State of Tennessee, have pled guilty to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity.
These guilty pleas are the latest convictions in a large RICO conspiracy case, “Operation .38 Special”, which was originally indicted in May, 2016, charging a total of 16 members of the Gangster Disciples criminal enterprise with racketeering.
With the addition of these six recent guilty pleas, 14 of the 16 gang members have now been found guilty for their roles in the conspiracy.
The following defendants pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Memphis over the last two weeks:
- 35-year-old Demarcus Crawford, a/k/a “Trip,” entered a guilty plea on June 7, 2019 to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity. Crawford, during the time period covered in the superseding indictment, held the rank of Enforcer for the entire State of Tennessee for the Gangster Disciples.
- 40-year-old Shamar James, a/k/a “Lionheart,” entered his guilty plea to the racketeering charge on June 6, 2019. During the time period covered by the superseding indictment, he held various positions of authority for the Gangster Disciples criminal enterprise, including Governor of Memphis, First Coordinator of Memphis, and Event/Entertainment Coordinator.
- 38-year-old Demario Sprouse, a/k/a “Taco,” pled guilty on June 19, 2019 to the RICO conspiracy. Sprouse held the prior rank of Chief of Security for a section located within Memphis.
- 46-year-old Rico Harris, a/k/a “Big Brim,” and 43-year-old Denton Suggs, a/k/a“Denton Morman,” a/k/a “Denny Mo,” a/k/a “Diddy Mo,” both entered guilty pleas on June 7, 2019 to the RICO charge. They both had been members of a security team.
- 33-year-old Gerald Hampton, a/k/a “G-30,” who was also a member of a security team, entered his plea on June 13, 2019.
According to the superseding indictment, the defendants named in the RICO conspiracy committed attempted murders; robberies; assaults; distribution of large quantities of cocaine, crack and marijuana; firearms trafficking; kidnappings; intimidations of witnesses and victims; extortion; obstruction of justice; and other offenses in furtherance of the Gangster Disciples criminal enterprise and to promote and enhance the members’ position within the gang.
According to the superseding indictment, the Gangster Disciples enterprise has a highly organized structure with a nationwide reach.
In addition to Tennessee, the gang reportedly operates in more than 35 states.
