Two Members of Old York Money Gang Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges Related to Their Drug Trafficking and Violence

 Including the Killing of Three-Year-Old Mckenzie Elliott Terrell Plummer Admits Killing McKenzie Elliott and Tyrone Jamison Admits Supplying the Gun Used in the Murder

Baltimore, Maryland – Terrell Plummer, a/k/a Rell, age 29, and Tyrone Jamison, a/k/a Ty, age 25, both of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to a federal racketeering conspiracy related to their membership in the Old York Money Gang (OYMG), a violent gang that sustained itself largely through the distribution and sale of controlled substances, including crack cocaine, as well as through murder and other violent crimes.  The gang operated throughout the Waverly neighborhood of Baltimore.  On August 1, 2014, three-year-old McKenzie Elliott was shot to death as she stood on her front porch, when she was struck by an errant bullet during an OYMG dispute.  Today, Plummer admitted that he killed McKenzie Elliott, and Jamison admitted that he supplied the gun used in the shooting.          

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Disputes between gang rivals lead to many shootings and murders in Baltimore City, including innocent bystanders who are caught in the crossfire—like little McKenzie Elliott,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “I am grateful for the tireless efforts of the investigators and prosecutors to bring McKenzie Elliott’s killer to justice.  While this guilty plea will not bring a beautiful little girl back to those who loved her, I hope her community will take some comfort from the fact that we will hold accountable the criminals who turned their neighborhood into a war zone.”

“The pursuit of justice for McKenzie Elliott has taken time, but today the person responsible for taking her life admitted to his crime. We can only hope that this brings some peace and answers to the family and community who loved McKenzie so much,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “Fear of being caught in the crossfire of a gang turf war is a terrible reality that affects too many in Baltimore.  ATF is determined to identify, investigate, and incarcerate this city’s most vicious criminals so that neighborhoods can be free of violence and children can safely stand on the front porches of their homes.”

According to their plea agreements and other court documents, from 2013 to April 2017, Plummer and Jamison were members of the OYMG, a violent drug trafficking organization operating in the Waverly neighborhood in the northern district of Baltimore.  OYMG is involved in criminal activity including murder, robbery, extortion, burglary, and narcotics trafficking in and around Baltimore.  OYMG is a neighborhood gang, limiting its membership to persons that originate from or live in the Waverly neighborhood, and generally excluding “outsiders.”   The gang extensively and frequently endorsed and promoted its existence through social media accounts and rap music videos, whereby members would display their association and advertise membership and activities of the gang.

According to court documents, beginning in October 2016, the ATF and the Baltimore City Police Department conducted undercover purchases of crack cocaine and heroin from OYMG members, who generally sold controlled substances at or around drug shops controlled and managed by the OYMG—and in coordination with co-conspirators.  According to their plea agreements and other court documents, Jamison, Plummer and other OYMG members sold heroin, powder and crack cocaine, and marijuana in their territory in Waverly and elsewhere.  OYMG members regularly carried firearms to defend the gang’s territory and violently expelled OYMG rivals or antagonists.  Jamison admitted that he possessed firearms in furtherance of the enterprise, and supplied, maintained, and stored firearms used by OYMG in furtherance of violent crimes.  Jamison also admitted that from April 26, 2017 to May 8, 2017, he tampered with evidence by conspiring with a co-conspirator to remove, conceal, and destroy firearms stored in a vehicle.  This was corroborated by recorded prison calls in which Jamison instructed a co-conspirator to obtain the key to the vehicle to retrieve unspecified items therein.  

As detailed in their plea agreements and court documents, in the summer of 2014, Plummer and other OYMG members became embroiled in a dispute with men from another neighborhood.  On July 30, 2014, these men entered OYMG territory to support a female friend engaged in a fight with the sister of an OYMG member.  Plummer and other OYMG members assaulted the men, one of whom was stabbed during the fracas (Victim #1).  Two days later, the men returned to the area, driven by a female in a white 1999 Mercedes SUV, to confront Plummer and OYMG members in retaliation for the assault on July 30.  OYMG members noticed the vehicle from the earlier fight and alerted one another to the presence of the vehicle.  As the vehicle circled the block for the third time, Plummer fired multiple shots at the SUV, striking one of the men (Victim #1) in the forehead.  Some of the errant bullets fired by Plummer missed their intended target and struck two additional victims.  Victim #5 was grazed in the chin and wrist.  One bullet struck three-year-old McKenzie Elliott in the head, resulting in her death.  Plummer admitted that he was responsible for McKenzie Elliott’s death, although he did not intend to kill her.  Jamison admitted that he supplied the gun used that Plummer used to shoot in the confrontation and in the killing of three-year-old McKenzie Elliott.

Plummer and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Plummer will be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.  Jamison and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Jamison will be sentenced to 150 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for Plummer on February 1, 2019, at 12:30 p.m. and for Jamison on February 9, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Two other defendants charged in the case are scheduled to go to trial on November 5, 2018.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Metcalf and Michael C. Hanlon, who are prosecuting the case.