NORFOLK, VA—Darren Antoine Pollard, 35, of Portsmouth, Va., pled guilty today in Norfolk federal court to participating in a pattern of racketeering activity (RICO) including a home invasion and conspiring to distribute controlled substances. He also pled guilty to possession of a firearm in a crime of violence.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after Pollard entered his guilty plea before United States District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Pollard will be sentenced on November 9, 2011 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
According to court documents, in the Summer of 2006, Pollard and other members of the Bounty Hunter Bloods /Nine Tech Gangsters (BHB/NTG) executed a home invasion of a residence in Portsmouth, Virginia. Pollard was familiar with some of the individuals who lived at that residence because he had worked with them in the past. Pollard and the other gang members had attended a party at the residence the night of the home invasion. After leaving the party Pollard and the other gang members returned shortly thereafter brandishing firearms and demanding money. A female resident who was sitting on the couch with her young daughter observed one of the male residents running through the house while a gang member chased him with a firearm. The gang member pointed the gun at the female and tore a gold chain from her neck. Pollard and the other gang members then went through the pockets of all the other residents before fleeing the scene. Pollard was also involved in the distribution of illegal narcotics.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Portsmouth Police Department and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys William D. Muhr and V. Kathleen Dougherty are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.