Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A four-count indictment was unsealed in the Middle District of Florida charging 11 defendants – all alleged Sex Money Murder-24K (SMM-24K) gang members and associates – with crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, attempted and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and drug conspiracy crimes. The gang was active inside and outside of the prison system in the State of Florida.
According to court documents and statements in court, SMM-24K members and associates allegedly engaged in extreme violence to retaliate against fellow members for perceived violations of gang rules. For example, SMM-24K members conspired to kill one fellow member for lying about not knowing the location of family members of a rival gang member, resulting in the stabbing and attempted murder of the SMM-24K member in the DeSoto Correctional Institution. SMM-24K conspired to kill a different SMM member, who they accused of lying to and stealing from the gang, by stabbing him around the neck. SMM-24K members also profited from trafficking large amounts of deadly drugs inside Florida Department of Corrections Institutions, by using associates to smuggle the drugs, including methamphetamine, into the prisons.
“As alleged, the Sex Money Murder 24K gang, a derivative of the nationally known Bloods gang and a subset of the Sex Money Murder gang, brutally enforced its purported rules, stabbing and attempting to kill three of their own members and one rival who crossed their leaders, and engaged in a sophisticated drug trafficking operation to move large quantities of dangerous drugs into Florida Department of Corrections facilities throughout the State,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will not rest until every criminal organization like SMM that wreaks havoc in our prison systems is dismantled. Thank you to every federal, state, and local law enforcement agency that came together to dismantle this gang.”
“The crimes alleged in this indictment demonstrate the callousness and determination of the SMM-24K gang to perpetuate heinous acts in Florida’s prison system,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Even from behind bars, this gang sought to expand their criminal enterprise through violence and illegal activities. Thanks to the diligent investigation and cooperation by our federal, state, and local partners, a major drug trafficking operation was disrupted, and its members will be forced to account for their crimes.”
“The FBI’s goal in crushing violent crime is to surge resources and partnerships, to build cases that cut into the capabilities of violent criminal networks, like Sex, Money, Murder 24K.” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office. “When we maximize impact, we disrupt the violence, and ultimately ensure our communities are safer.”
According to court documents, SMM-24K created a “hit list” that included identifying and location information of their victims and intended targets, and the accusations against each. As alleged in the indictment, on January 17, 2023, defendant Tyrone Conaway, 37, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, FL, directed multiple SMM-24K members at the DeSoto Correctional Institution to murder an SMM-24K member who allegedly had lied to and stolen from the gang. Less than two weeks later, that SMM-24K member was stabbed inside the correctional facility. On February 23, 2023, defendant Terry Tillman, 38, Orlando, FL, attempted to kill a different SMM member by stabbing that person around the neck while defendant Charlie Martin, 28, Deland, FL, acted as a lookout. Information about both victims was included on the “hit list.” In April 2023, defendants Hernando Thompson, 40, and Alvin James, 30, Orlando, FL exchanged text messages coordinating the murder of a rival gang member. That rival gang member was attacked, and his face was slashed in Apalachee East Correctional Institution. Less than a month later, that same rival gang member was repeatedly stabbed by two inmates on May 24, 2023, after having been moved to Liberty Correctional Institution.
According to court documents and statements made in court, SMM-24K is a subset of the Bloods gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The SMM subset has spread from the Bronx and New York to areas across the East Coast, including Florida, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails. The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM-24K members, including inmates within the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including conspiracies to commit murder and drug trafficking within FDOC facilities.
If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison life in prison for racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy; and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the Florida Department of Corrections, the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Trial Attorney Christopher Matthews of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Ruddy and Robert Sowell for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.