A 40-count indictment has been returned by a federal grand jury charging 11 members of the Gangster Disciples.
Reports stated the 11 members allegedly conspired to participate in a racketeering enterprise, including multiple murders, a drug distribution conspiracy, and numerous other crimes of violence, such as firearms and drug crimes. One of those murders, according to officials, was the killing of a witness.
The indictment was returned on Thursday. A coordinated takedown early on Friday by federal, state, and local law enforcement officials in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Florida resulted in numerous arrests.
Several search warrants were also executed in Clarksville and Murfreesboro, where many of the defendants live.
“The Gangster Disciples have been a menace to law-abiding Americans for more than 40 years and remain a threat in 35 states today,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “This gang sells dangerous drugs and has taken innocent lives. The Department of Justice is making combating violent gangs like this one a high priority, and today we take another major step toward taking them off our streets for good. I want to thank the dedicated federal prosecutors who brought this case, and I especially want to thank the 10 law enforcement agencies from the state, local, and federal levels who took part in this investigation.”
“The charges in this case encompass conduct dating back over a decade,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith. “In bringing these charges, we have sought to hold accountable those who have played a central role in gang violence and whose criminal activity has too often disrupted the peace and harmony of these two communities. Our work is not done and this prosecution is the next step in what will be a sustained effort to dismantle the Gangster Disciples organization in Middle Tennessee.”
A series of ongoing allegations of gang-related activity was set forth in the indictment.
Authorities said the 11 defendants held organizational meetings and crime planning activities. They allegedly committed violent assaults, murders, drug distribution, and firearms offenses from 2005 till now.
The Gangster Disciples were founded in Chicago and have been active in numerous states.
According to reports, the Gangster Disciples reportedly recruited members in Middle Tennessee from local neighborhoods or from within jail or prison.
Officials released the following list of 11 names:
- Marcus Termaine Darden, age 38, of Guthrie, Ky. (a.k.a. "MD," "Mac MD," "Tuff," "Mac Tuff")
- Maurice Duncan Burks, age 31, of Hopkinsville, Ky. (a.k.a. "Reece," "Mac Reece," "Reese," "Mac Reese," "Reesy," "Mac Reesy," "Reesey," "Mac Reesey")
- Brandon Durell Hardison, age 31, of Madison (a.k.a. "Creep")
- Lamar Andre Warfield, age 28, of Guthrie, Ky. (a.k.a. "Jug," "Mac Jug")
- Derrick Lamar Kilgore, age 32, of Clarksville (a.k.a. "Smut")
- Elance Justin Lucas (a.k.a. "Luke," "Mac Luke," "Lou," "Mac Lou," "Fat," "Fatboy")
- DeCarlos Titington, age 41, of Clarksville (a.k.a. "Los," "Los T," "Carlos T")
- Lawrence Mitchell, age 33, of Clarksville (a.k.a. "Chop," "Mac Chop")
- Lorenzo Cortez Brown (a.k.a. "Zo")
- Xavier Raphael Jenkins, age 29, of Clarksville (a.k.a. "Xa," "Mac Xa," "Li'l Xa," "Main Boi," "Main Boi Xa")
- Rex Andrew Whitlock, age 32, of Clarksville (a.k.a "Mac Rex," "Stack," "StackHouse," "Mac Stackhouse")
Many crimes were listed in the indictments. One of those alleged Hardison killed an associate of the Gangster Disciples. Hardison then reportedly killed the associate’s girlfriend, a witness to her boyfriend’s murder.
Other members were then enlisted, according to officials, to dispose of the murder weapon. According to the indictment, these acts were committed by Hardison so he could maintain and increase his position with the Gangster Disciples.
In another listed crime, Hardison, Burks, Darden, and Jenkins plotted to assault members of the Bloods gang.
Reports stated Hardison and Jenkins allegedly committed the assault, while Burks reportedly shot and killed a member of the Bloods gang while inside a nightclub in Clarksville.
“Having the support and cooperation of our partner local, state, and federal agencies is critical in ensuring that we can work together to protect Tennesseans from violent individuals such as these,” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn. “Gang members who commit such violent acts, as alleged here, have no place in our communities and we will continue to work together to bring such bad actors to justice.”
Authorities said the defendants were facing maximum sentences of ten years to life in prison if convicted.
Two of them, Burks and Hardison, were potentially facing the death penalty.
