RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr.
announced that in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III
sentenced DEMETRICE R. DEVINE, a/k/a
“Respect,” 37, of Garner, NC, to four consecutive terms of life imprisonment
followed by a term of 240 months imprisonment and 5 years supervised release
for Conspiracy to Participate in a Pattern of Racketeering (RICO conspiracy),
Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Murder with a Firearm During and in Relation
to a crime of Violence, Conspiracy to
Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, and
Conspiracy to Commit Witness Tampering.
The court also recommended that the defendant serve his life sentences
at the “Supermax" Federal Prison in Colorado.
On October 24, 2019, DEMETRICE R. DEVINE and BRANDON JOWAN
MANGUM, a/k/a “B-Easy,” 31, of
Knightdale, NC, were found guilty of all charges after a two-week jury
trial. (More here.) Evidence presented during the trial and other
public documents established that DEMETRICE R. DEVINE was the leader or
“Godfather” of the Gangsta Killer Bloods (GKB), and then created the Black Mob
Gangstas (BMG) and the Donald Gee Family
(DGF) organization. The BMG/DGF are sets
of the “Bloods” gang whose members committed various crimes in the city of
Raleigh and especially in the area of Haywood Street. BRANDON JOWAN MANGUM was another high-ranking
member of BMG/DGF. BMG/DGF members committed acts of violence to
maintain membership and discipline, both within the gang and against non-gang
members. Members committed acts of
violence, including murder, attempted murder, and assaults, in order to
maintain their positions within the gang and to be promoted within the
leadership structure of the gang.
U.S. Attorney Higdon commented, “For the better part of two
decades, members of the United Blood Nation, known locally as the Black Mob
Gangstas or the Donald Gee Family, have operated and virtually controlled and
terrorized the law abiding citizens who live in the Haywood Street area of
downtown Raleigh, not more than a mile from our federal courthouse. Last October, during the trial of Mr. Devine
and his co-defendant, Brandon Mangum – the jury heard the chilling testimony
and saw the uncontroverted evidence presented by the Government of Devine’s
role – indeed, his absolute leadership – in a murderous, violent, drug dealing
gang of thugs who terrorized Raleigh and the Eastern District for far too
long. These street gangs will stop at
nothing to attempt to maintain their violent way of life without
consequence. Mr. Devine’s multiple life
sentences exemplify the consequences for those who join gangs and commit crimes
in the Eastern District of North Carolina.”
BMG/DGF, including its leadership, members and associates,
constituted an “enterprise” as defined by Title 18, United States Code, Section
1961(4), that is, a group of individuals’ associated-in-fact. The enterprise
constituted an ongoing organization, whose members functioned as a continuing
unit for a common purpose of achieving the objectives of the enterprise. The enterprise was engaged in, and its
activities affected, interstate and foreign commerce. The purpose of the BMG/DGF enterprise
included the following:
a. Preserving and protecting the power,
territory, reputation, respect, and profits of the enterprise through the use
of intimidation, violence, threats of violence, assaults, murder and attempted
murder;
b. Promoting and enhancing the enterprise and
its members’ and associates’ activities, including, but not limited to,
murders, attempted murders, robberies, drug distribution and other criminal
activities;
c. Keeping the community and rivals in fear of
the enterprise and its members and associates through violence and threats of
violence;
d. Providing financial support and information
to gang members, including those incarcerated in the United States;
e. Providing assistance to other gang members
who committed crimes for and on behalf of the gang; and,
f. Hindering, obstructing, and preventing law
enforcement officers from identifying, apprehending, and successfully
prosecuting and punishing members of the enterprise.
BMG/DGF also held gang meetings to communicate gang
information, to recruit members, issue punishment and collect gang dues from
each BMG/DGF member for the benefit of the BMG/DGF organization. A portion of the dues were saved and utilized
locally in what was referred to as a “community rent box” while another portion
was sent up the chain of command to gang leadership in Virginia and New
York. BMG/DGF members were permitted to
earn their money for dues through various methods, including, but not limited
to, robberies, fraud schemes, and drug distribution. The monies were used locally for loans to
gang members, for drug purchases, for firearm purchases, for gifts, and
cellular telephones for high-ranking members who were in jail. DEVINE ordered that individuals selling
narcotics in and around Haywood Street who were not BMG/DGF members were also
required to pay gang dues in order to continue their drug sales in territory
controlled by BMG/DGF. Individuals who
did not pay gang dues risked being robbed, assaulted, or murdered.
In his leadership position, DEVINE directed members of his
gang to shoot a 16 year old rival gang member, Adarius Fowler, who died from
gunshot wounds. He also ordered a gang
member to shoot a person who provided information to law enforcement regarding
the murder of Fowler. While this person
was recovering from those gunshot injuries in the hospital, DEVINE ordered that
the person be killed.
DEVINE presided over a “beat-in” gang initiation of a
BMG/DGF gang member and personally assaulted another gang member whose loyalty
he questioned. DEVINE conspired with
other gang members to silence and threaten gang members that had been provided
subpoenas to testify in a federal proceeding.
MANGUM will be sentenced in May 2020 and also faces a maximum
term of imprisonment of life and a term of supervised release following any
term of imprisonment.
The prosecution of DEVINE was a part of an Organized Crime
and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF) targeting violent gang
members and drug traffickers in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Raleigh Police
Department led the investigation with assistance from the North Carolina
Department of Public Safety, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh/Wake
City-County Bureau of Identification, United States Marshal’s Service, Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the North Carolina Office of
the Chief Medical Examiner. Assistant
United States Attorneys Dena King and Scott Lemmon prosecuted this case with
Christina Taylor with the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s
Organized Crime and Gang Section.
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