Joe Richard Poston, 24, and Robert Benjamin Seats, 28, died of gunshot wounds after a shoot-out in the parking lot of J-Mumbly's, at 903 Hollywood Drive in the Hollywood Shopping Center. Police believe the men shot each other during an argument that began inside the club.Seven others - three women and four men - were injured in the incident. All of them were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Some have been treated and released, while others remain hospitalized.Jackson police also are investigating a second shooting that happened about 2:20 a.m. Sunday in the area of the Sesame Street Lounge, at 411 Railroad St. Tallis Croom, 22, was treated for a gunshot wound to his chest and released from the hospital.
Lt. Tyreece Miller said Monday afternoon that Seats' and Poston's bodies had been sent to Nashville for autopsies. He said investigators would send bullets collected from the autopsies and bullets and casings from the parking lot to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for ballistics testing.The testing could help determine how many guns were used in the shooting and could take up to 17 weeks, Miller said.Police did not recover any guns from the crime scene. They believe other people may have fired weapons in addition to Seats and Poston, but they have not determined how many were involved in the shooting.
Capt. Mike Holt confirmed Monday that Poston was affiliated with the Gangster Disciples or GDs, and Seats had ties to a rival gang, the Vice Lords."This determination is made based on prior intelligence, tattoos and their associates," Holt said. "However, we don't know if (gang association) caused the altercation the night of the shooting, or if there was some independent reason they were arguing."J-Mumbly's owner, Evans Chatman, reiterated Monday that he believes the shootings were gang-related.
"We are being penalized with all the media attention and people saying the shooting happened inside the nightclub," Chatman said, as he stood outside his club about noon Monday. "It was in the parking lot, in a gang-related fight that started somewhere else and happened to end in the shopping center."Police have asked the Special Operations Unit, which includes the Metro Narcotics Unit, the Gang Unit and the Street Crimes Unit, to assist in the investigation.Jackson saw an explosion of gang-related crime in the 1990s, but gangs in Jackson have kept a lower profile in the last few years, according to police.In January, Ledarren Hawkins, 20, of Memphis, told police he was a member of the Bloods gang after he shot and killed Jerome Ellington outside the Jackson Bowling & Skating Family Fun Center. Hawkins was seen flashing gang signs before the shooting, police have said.Holt said Monday that the level of gang activity in Jackson has stayed at about the same level for the last six months.He also noted that gang affiliation is not as clearly defined as it was in the past. Even though someone may be a gang member, that person also may have strong loyalty to family members or neighborhood groups, Holt said.Both Poston and Seats have extensive criminal histories and served time in state prisons.Poston was on parole for a 2006 robbery charge, according the Tennessee Department of Correction Web site. It was not known when he was released from prison.He was previously arrested or had warrants on charges of robbery, weapons offenses, aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft, according to Jackson police records. He also had numerous driving charges and a lengthy juvenile record.Seats' official prison sentence ended in January 2009, according to the Department of Correction Web site, but it was not known when he was released from prison.His prior record includes arrests and warrants on charges of burglary, motor vehicle theft, drug offenses, rape, aggravated assault and attempted first-degree murder. He also had driving charges and a juvenile record.

Former airman accused in the death of an U.S. Army sergeant during a gang initiation in Germany will remain jailed in Washington until trial.A federal grand jury has indicted 31-year-old Rico Williams on charges of second-degree murder and three counts of tampering with a witness in the death of 25-year-old Sgt. Juwan Johnson of Baltimore.Williams was arrested in Chesapeake, Va., in January and transferred to the U.S. District Court in Washington to stand trial.Prosecutors say the former Air Force senior airman led a German faction of the Gangster Disciples and threw the first two punches during Johnson's initiation, knocking him unconscious.The indictment states that Williams threatened at least seven people after learning of Johnson's death.

Rico R. Williams, 31, of Chesapeake smiled to family members as he was led into a federal courtroom Wednesday for a bond hearing. He waived his right to a hearing and will remain in jail pending proceedings in the Washington U.S. District Court.former airman accused of leading a violent gang in Germany agreed on Wednesday to be transferred to Washington, D.C., to face charges of killing a U.S. Army sergeant during an initiation ritual.Williams is accused of leading a German faction of the Gangster Disciples, a gang that originated in Chicago and is listed by the FBI as one of the 15 largest gangs in the country.The killing of Sgt. Juwan Johnson, 25, occurred at a Gangster Disciples initiation ceremony in Hohenecken, Germany, in early July 2005.According to a report in the Stars and Stripes newspaper, Johnson sustained more than 200 blows in the six-minute beating. Williams is accused of throwing the first two blows, which knocked Johnson unconscious. Timed beatings are a signature initiation rite of the Gangster Disciples, the FBI says.

Several other service members were charged with manslaughter by the military in Germany, but the outcomes of those cases could not be learned this week. The Stars and Striped obtained details of the beating by attending court proceedings.

Sentenced Danny Mitchell, 31, of 50th and Peoria streets in the Englewood neighborhood to 27 years in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release, according to a release from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Mitchell pleaded guilty on July 3, 2008, to conspiracy to distribute 3,600 grams of heroin and 300 grams of crack cocaine, and possession of firearms as a convicted felon, the release said.Between January 2004 and October 2006, Mitchell and other members of the Gangster Disciples sold crack cocaine and heroin under the brand name "Karma" on eight occasions to an undercover ATF agent, the release said.
Mitchell also asked the undercover agent if he could obtain any guns and agreed to provide crack cocaine and heroin in exchange for firearms, the release said. On Oct. 4, 2006, Mitchell met with the agent at 47th and Halsted, and viewed and inspected firearms in the agent's trunk. Hethen traded 4 1/2 ounces of crack cocaine for eight semi-automatic handguns. Mitchell attempted to escape arrest by ramming his vehicle into a vehicle occupied by two ATF Agents, but was apprehended. He has been in federal custody since his arrest. Mitchell, with three prior convictions for violent crimes and drug trafficking, was sentenced as a "career offender" on the drug charge and an "armed career criminal" on the firearms charge under federal laws that mandate non-paroleable sentences for repeate offenders, the release said. Three co-conspirators were also sentenced to prison by Judge Manning -- Terryon Cates to 46 months; Albert Jones to 151 months; and Cynthia Ford to 100 months, the release said. ATF Special agent in Charge Andrew Traver said: "It looks like Danny Mitchell's attempt to exchange crack cocaine for firearms turned out to create 324 months of really bad Karma for him. All of the cash he and his GD cohorts generated by selling brand-name narcotics won't do him much good in the federal prison system."

officials charges against the men were possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Police said several have connections to the Gangster Disciples, a notorious Chicago street gang. "These people face very severe criminal charges. This criminal behavior is not just limited to Chicago and middle-class America," Monroe said.
The men arrested were:
* Trevail "Tre" Banks, 26, of 1096 Stonehedge Drive, Schaumburg.
* Shannon "Shine" Bennet, 29, of 1040 E. 80th St., Chicago.
* Kenton Bradley, 33, of 5512 Montibello, Hanover Park.
* Robert Green, 41, of 808 Holyoke Court, Schaumburg.
* Randy Hamlette, 39, of 808 Holyoke Court, Schaumburg.
* Curly Mixon, 24, of 17 S. Porter, Elgin.
* Yuliet Nava, 24, of 334 Dundee Road, Elgin.
* Robert "Big Boy" Wasp, 37, of 1930 Oxford Court, Schaumburg.
* Frederick Woodson, 41, of 36 Grant Circle, Streamwood.
Named as fugitives were Trotter; Corey "Sug" Stewart, 34. of 371 Silva, and Curly Mixon, 24, of 17 S. Porter, both of Elgin. The Cook County State's Attorney also arrested Damien Beamon, of Elgin, with violating state drug laws. FBI arrested 10 northwest suburban residents Tuesday for allegedly operating a large-scale cocaine and crack ring, often doing business at Schaumburg's Woodfield Mall and Streets of Woodfield.
A national manhunt continues for three men also charged in the drug sweep.
Other police departments participating in the case were Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Elgin, Hanover Park, Roselle and Streamwood. Authorities said one drug transaction was recorded by law enforcement officials while a dealer's child practiced football at Veterans Park on Holmes Way and Knollwood Drive on Sept. 6, 2006. Another recorded drug deal was at Wise Hand Care Wash, 1811 W. Wise Road, Schaumburg, on July 5, 2007. On June 15, 2007, drug money was originally to be exchanged at Rainforest Cafe at Woodfield Mall, but then changed to a Mobile gas station at Algonquin and Meacham roads. FBI agent William Monroe said Robert Atkins, of 2229 Mayfair Ave., Westchester, was the lead buyer in the conspiracy. Atkins was the recent owner of Wise Hand Care Wash, and he still owns a Chicago recording studio named Krunch Tyme Entertainment. The three-year investigation resulted in several recorded phone conversations between the men talking about selling automatic weapons, beatings for owed drug money and drug deals going for $22,500 per kilogram.
On July 20, 2007, Vernial Trotter, 35, of 628 Hayward, Streamwood, was recorded talking to Atkins about a someone owing him money. "I'm gonna kill this boy, hell yeah," said Trotter, according to a transcript, to which Atkins allegedly replied, "No, don't kill him, just whoop his (expletive)." "Man, nah, hell no dude, I'm gonna try to choke this boy out," said Trotter, according to the transcript.
The investigation -- called Operation Sitt'n Ducks -- netted 8 kilograms of cocaine, valued at $200,000, said Monroe. He also said more than $100,000 in vehicles were seized. In the Veterans Park buy, the federal complaint stated Trotter told an informant to meet him at Nathan Hale School, 1300 W. Wise Road, Schaumburg, for the football practice, but it was changed to the park. The complaint also said Trotter's wife drove up and parked next to his vehicle and handed him a white plastic bag. Trotter gave the bag to the informant, and the contents later tested positive for 30.8 grams of cocaine and 29.6 grams of crack cocaine. The $1,300 drug buy was audio and video recorded, stated the federal complaint. Monroe said those arrested faced a prison sentence of 10 mandatory years to possible life. "This was a large arrest and another example of a cooperative efforts among law enforcement," said Richard Casler, chief of operations for Schaumburg police.

Reputed chief enforcer of the Gangster Disciples in the Chicago area has been ordered to spend 40 years in prison for illegally purchasing guns in in northwest Indiana. Bernard Ellis, 41, of Country Club Hills, seemed surprised by the long prison term handed down Monday.“You’re giving me 40 years for guns?” Ellis exclaimed, insisting he never killed anyone.He told the judge the sentence was “crazy” and said he’ll appeal. But U.S. District Judge Robert L. Miller Jr. said the sentence was justified, calling Ellis an “armed career criminal.”In May, a federal judge in Chicago had sentenced Ellis to seven years in prison for possession of firearms by a felon. That judge didn’t give Ellis the maximum 20-year sentence then, in part, he said, because he found “redeeming” qualities in him.In 2004, Chicago police recovered a gun from Ellis after arresting him on charges he beat his girlfriend and her daughter. Tests linked the gun to a killing earlier that year.
But Ellis hasn’t been charged in that slaying, which remains under investigation.

Open-air drug market in the Englewood area that authorities believe had ties to the Gangster Disciples was shut down, Chicago police said Wednesday.Police conducted 19 undercover crack cocaine buys during a six-month sting that monitored drug sales in a block of West 56th Street between South Elizabeth Street and South Racine Avenue, police said in a news release.Six people were arrested on drug charges during Operation Lackawanna, and police are looking for two people who allegedly sold drugs on the block.Police said it was the 47th open-air drug market that has been shut down this year.

Two former Chicago auto dealers were convicted of turning their businesses into money-laundering havens for drug-dealing street gangs. Amir Hosseini, 50, of Winnetka and Hossein Obaei, 54, of Northbrook, were immediately taken into custody by marshals after being convicted of dozens of counts of racketeering, money laundering, bank fraud, bribery and structuring deposits to evade federal scrutiny. The two men convicted of 98 criminal charges, may end up getting life terms.The drug dealers used cash to buy more than 800 luxury cars, including Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and BMW models, according to prosecutors. Fitzgerald said fake transactions would be created on paper to look as if the cars were bought for less than $10,000 so that required paperwork did not have to be completed. As part of the alleged fraud, prosecutors accuse the defendants of placing liens on cars they sold to drug dealers and gang members, falsely indicating the dealership held security interests in the cars so the defendants could get the cars back if they were seized by law enforcement, prosecutors said. At the trial, which began Jan. 22, members of the Gangster Disciples, Black Disciples, Latin Kings and Four Corner Hustlers testified that they used proceeds from sales of heroin and cocaine to buy Jaguars, BMWs, Cadillacs and other luxury vehicles from the two defendants. Prosecutors said Hosseini and Obaei were aware that drug money was paying for the luxury autos. Evidence showed that Hosseini transferred $100,000 of the cash to Iran but prosecutors declined to comment on the reason.When arrested, both men carried American and Iranian passports.Prosecutors said the two owners and two managers of the three dealerships on the city's West Side had allegedly laundered more than $9 million since 2001. "We're not talking about car dealers who sold cars to people who happened to be drug dealers or sold cars to people despite the fact that they were drug dealers. We're talking about a car dealership that was in the business to cater to people who were drug dealers and gang bangers," Fitzgerald said. The defendants Amir Hosseini, 48, of Winnetka, described as the owner and operator of Standard Leasing Sales, currently known as Amer Leasing Sales, and a partial owner in SHO Auto Credit; Ruhollah Bambouyani, 54, of California and formerly of Glenview, described as Hosseini's business partner at Standard; and Ramona Rodriguez, 38, of Chicago, described as the finance manager and office manager of both Standard and American Car Exchange.
Prosecutors also charged Hossein Obaei, 52, of Northbrook, who owned and operated American Car Exchange and was a partial owner in SHO Auto Credit. Obaei also was charged with aiding and abetting a cocaine- and heroin-trafficking ring allegedly operated by some of his customers. Federal agents and Chicago police also seized more than 100 cars from the dealerships and searched the defendants' offices and homes. According to a criminal complaint, the defendants allegedly sold cars to people they knew were drug dealers or gang members in exchange for cash, "knowing that the transactions were designed to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the proceeds of their customers' drug-trafficking activities."

Police detectives for the past month have been rounding up suspected gang members in targeted neighborhoods in an effort to curb organized criminal activity.The effort has netted at least a dozen arrests, several weapons, thousands of dollars in cash and drugs, Dayton Detective Chad Knight said.
The police department in 2006 received a $98,533 Anti-Gang Initiative grant from the U.S. Justice Department, part of a $30 million nationwide pool of money to support new or expanded anti-gang efforts. The grant is helping to cover overtime pay for officers conducting the sweeps, and to train officers to identify gang and organized criminal activity. Funding is expected to last until August, police said.
A Dayton Daily News series published Feb. 17 and 18 found that law enforcement agencies in the Miami Valley have connected assaults, drug trafficking, shootings and homicides to more than a dozen local street gangs.The sweeps of one police district at a time (there are five) involve Knight and other narcotics detectives and patrol units from the targeted district.
A sweep on April 4 yielded four felony and three misdemeanor arrests; 24 traffic citations; the confiscation of 28 grams of powder cocaine, five grams of crack cocaine and six ounces of marijuana; $1,600 cash and a 9 mm handgun, said Lt. Patrick Welsh, narcotics squad supervisor.
Most of the sweeps have focused on the Fifth District, in the northwest portion of Dayton, parts of which are known gang hotbeds. Police have made several arrests along Otterbein Avenue, Knight said. Police have identified several gangs operating in the Fifth District including the Dayton View Hustlers, Bloods, Gangster Disciples, Greenwich Village Crew, and Otterbein Mafia.Names, ages, group affiliations and other information gathered from arrests are entered into Ohio's statewide gang database for use by law enforcement, Welsh said.
The weekend of May 2-4, a sweep targeted neighborhoods in the Second District, which encompasses the east side of the city below East Fifth Street, Welsh said.
"It's not just targeting street gangs, so to say. It's a broader spectrum," he said. "It could be a family where only blood relatives are allowed in as opposed to a group that calls themselves something."Police are also targeting suspected biker gangs and neo-Nazi organizations."It's really an anti-group initiative," Welsh said.
In a related investigatory development, police said they reviewed area homicides since 2005 and have found that a significant portion can be linked to a "group dynamic."Welsh said Dayton, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the city of Trotwood found that close to 40 percent were "group dynamic" related. Group-related incidents, which police formally refer to as "group-member involved incidents," include homicides where the victim or suspect is a known member of a defined group, Welsh said.