An eight-count federal lawsuit that is not closed in the southern district of Georgia charges 30 alleged members of the Sex Money Murder (SMM) gang and employees with crimes, including racketeering and murder.
The suspects were arrested in four Georgia cities – Savannah, Hinesville, Augusta and Atlanta – according to an indictment that was not closed on Wednesday.
According to court reports and testimony, the defendants have traded large amounts of fatal drugs – including methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin – throughout the Savannah area. They are also accused of participating in advanced fraud plates to obtain federal COVID-19 lighting and unemployment benefits, which causes a loss of more than $ 850,000.
The indictment also accuses Byron Hopkins in the death of a 19-year-old gang member who wanted to leave the gang.
“Today’s indictment is an important step in the end of Bendegeweld on our streets and in our prisons,” said Tara Lyons, who acted lawyer of the American district of Georgia. “My office will constantly collaborate with our law enforcement partners to guarantee public safety.”
According to judicial documents, Hopkins and other SMM members intercept a 19-year-old man in February 2020 and took him to a national residential area, where Hopkins shot him. The victim was said to have expressed the wish to leave the gang after having accused Hopkins of having sex with a minor girl who became pregnant.
If convicted, the defendants oppose life in prison for the murder, to life in prison for racketeering -and up to 30 years behind bars for wire fraud.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, the US Department of Labor, the Criminal Investigation division of the army, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Ministry of Corrections and nine local law enforcement agencies.
The SMM gang is a subset of The Bloods, a gang that originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. From there, the gang spread to areas along the east coast, including Georgia, where he works inside and outside prisons and prisons.
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