North Carolina Gang Members Sentenced
Four members of the United Blood Nation (Bloods) street gang were sentenced in Charlotte, North Carolina this week after pleading guilty to federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy charges. Three of the individuals were sentenced to 35 years each followed by three years of supervised release and the final individual was sentenced to 15 years followed by three years of supervised release.
Tyquan Ramont Powell, aka Savage; Lamonte Kentrell Lloyd, aka Murda Mo and Moo; and Thomas Oliver, aka T.O., Recon, Rex, and Mr. Trippbadd; pled guilty to RICO charges involving murder and Marquel Michael Cunningham, aka Mayhem, pled guilty to RICO charges involving attempted murder.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, Powell and Lloyd were Bloods members and together committed two murders and three attempted murders in January and February 2016. The first murder involved shooting into a car with three occupants whom they believed were cooperating with law enforcement and intended to testify in a criminal case against a close associate of theirs. Bullets hit all three individuals in the car and the intended target was killed. Powell and Lloyd then fled to another area of North Carolina where they received refuge and resources from Blood members and associates.
Law enforcement also confirmed that Powell and Lloyd committed murder elsewhere in North Carolina while attempting to rob four victims using handguns. When the victims resisted, Powell killed one victim attempting to flee. Lloyd shot another victim in the back of the head who survived.
Evidence from the trail indicates that Oliver drove himself and four other Blood members from Cleveland County, North Carolina, to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in order to rob an 18-year-old victim of marijuana and money. Serving as a local Blood leader, Oliver coordinated the crimes and was present when his fellow gang members killed the robbery victim and attempted to kill the victim’s friend, who survived a gunshot wound to his arm.
Also according to court documents, Cunningham committed an armed robbery for the gang and an assault of a fellow member for violating gang rules. In 2014, Cunningham also pointed out an individual believed to be in a rival gang while in a car with fellow members. Occupants of the car opened fire and chased the victim who escaped uninjured.
The prosecution of these individuals was part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
In May 2017, 83 UBN gang members were indicted in the Western District of North Carolina for RICO conspiracy and other crimes. In all, 82 defendants have been convicted from the investigation.