Two men associated with a violent gang have been sentenced to decades in prison after a recent courtroom hearing. The men were convicted in February on charges of federal crimes that included racketeering, robbery, sex trafficking, drug distribution and weapons offense. The older defendant, age 34, was sentenced to a 40-year prison term, while another 29-year-old man will serve 30 years’ time.
The pair was indicted in September 2013 by a federal grand jury, along with 22 other associates within the Nine Trey Gangsters association. Those individuals were accused of engaging in a variety of racketeering and sex trafficking operations throughout the area, including violations in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. The defendants were also accused of distributing a wide range of illegal substances, including marijuana, prescription drugs, cocaine and heroin, among others.
Further, the two men in this case were accused of committing or commissioning acts of violence, including the slashing injury of a woman who had reportedly taken some of their money. The younger defendant was also accused of participating in a shooting and beating a man unconscious. A variety of other charges were brought that dated back several years.
In total, all of the two dozen defendants named in the federal grand jury indictment have been convicted. That means that more than three dozen members of the Nine Trey Gangsters have been convicted in just one region of Virginia since 2013. It appears that investigative agencies in the area do not intend to stop their pursuit of these gang members, so other defendants may soon be indicted. Defendants who have allegedly committed crimes that cross state lines may be charged with federal violations instead of the potentially less-severe state crimes.
Source: Alexandria News, “Nine Trey Gang Leader Sentenced To 40 Years In Prison, Enforcer Sentenced To 30 Years For Multiple Racketeering Offenses” No author given, May. 11, 2014