Seventeen members of a Charlottesville street gang called the "Westside Crew" were indicted earlier this week for two homicides, three kidnappings, illegal possession of firearms, robberies and the distribution of illegal drugs.
The gang's leader, Louis Antonio Bryant, aka "Tinio," along with gang members Andre Jarrard "Icky" Waller, Roger Lee "RJ" Henry, Jr., and Richard Knajib "Main" Johns have been charged with violent crimes related to racketeering.
"They have an amazing amount of connections with drug suppliers across the country," Bill Dunham said, the resident agent from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).
Crimes related to the gang include 13 shootings, two resulting in deaths, Charlottesville Assistant U.S. Attorney William Gould said. The indictments go back as far as a November 1995 shooting.
Of the 17 gang members indicted, 15 are currently incarcerated and are awaiting their trial in March. The other two, Johns and Terry Kenny "T.Y." Moore, remain fugitives.
"We believe that they are keeping low profiles because they know that we are looking for them," Dunham said.
The recent indictment will help to eliminate a dangerous element of the Charlottesville community and surrounding areas, according to Mike Campbell, special agent spokesperson for the Washington field division of ATF.
"It is important to make this community safer and put these violent criminals behind bars," Campbell said.
If convicted, the defendants face possible life imprisonment.
Authorities suspect additional gang members remain in the Charlottesville community, although the exact member list of the gang remains unknown.
"I would say 50 people, but it's just a guess because they all work anonymously," Dunham said.
The other defendants are: Detric Daniel "D-Dot" Cabell, John Darrelle "Relle" Bryant, Lorenzo Lamas "Renny" Timberlake, Ricardo Lamont "Rick" Carey, David Lashawne "Tick" Woodfolk, Brooks Lorenzo Woodfolk, Christopher Rickey Otis Folley, Travis Lamont Brown, Derrick Lashawn "D-Love" Smith, Claiborne Lemar Maupin, Kevin Johan "Quick Dog" Brown and Kunta Daron "K-9" Tolbert.
The investigation of the gang resulting in the indictments was a joint effort by the ATF, the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Virginia State Police and the Charlottesville Police, said Campbell.
The investigation involved everything from undercover buys to search warrants.
"We did a number of different things to identify these people and establish the connections between them," Dunham said.
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