Three Cleveland Gang Members Convicted of Racketeering, Murder and Kidnapping; 25 Gang Members Now Convicted in the Case
Following a three-week trial, a federal jury in Cleveland, Ohio, convicted three members of the Fully Blooded Felons street gang of multiple federal offenses, including Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act murder, RICO conspiracy, RICO kidnapping, drug trafficking, and gun crimes, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 5.
The defendants, all of Cleveland, are Raven Mullins, 37, Malik Brooks, 28, and Jayon Florence, 23. The gang has existed in Ohio since approximately 2012, operating primarily out of the east side of Cleveland, as well as Akron, Youngstown, and elsewhere, according to the Justice Department.
Evidence at trial showed that the defendants, along with co-defendants who earlier pleaded guilty, kidnapped and murdered a woman the gang suspected of being romantically involved with, and sharing information with, a rival gang member. On or about July 28, 2022, gang members held her in an apartment where Mullins ordered members including Brooks and Florence to repeatedly punch and choke her. The next day, while still holding her captive and with Mullins's approval, Brooks, Florence, and others drove her to Cleveland's west side and fatally shot her 19 times, leaving her body in the front seat of a stolen Kia Optima. On September 12, 2023, Mullins and two other gang members robbed and murdered a second victim on the west side of Cleveland.
The defendants face maximum penalties of life in prison, and their sentencing date has not yet been set. As of the announcement, 25 Fully Blooded Felon members have been charged and convicted on federal charges in connection with the indictment, including RICO conspiracy, murder and kidnapping in aid of racketeering, and various firearms and drug offenses.
The case resulted from a yearslong investigation by the FBI, with assistance from the Cleveland Division of Police, the ATF, and the DEA. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Brian W. Lynch and former Trial Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Justice Department's Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Hanna, Rachael E. Wood, Robert F. Corts, and Margaret A. Sweeney for the Northern District of Ohio. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Washington 的美国司法部总部罗伯特·肯尼迪大楼。本案由司法部刑事司与俄亥俄北区检察官办公室起诉。APK 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington. The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department's Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio. By APK, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
