3 Gang Leaders Convicted On Murder, Drug, Weapons Charges

ATLANTA, GA — Three gang leaders were convicted on drug, weapon and murder charges in Atlanta, according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice. Lewis Mobley, Vertuies Wall and Lawrence Grice are leaders within the Gangster Disciples national criminal organization, according to the release.

"The Gangster Disciples are extremely organized and their reach is wide-spread across the United States," U.S. Attorney Byung Pak said in the release.

The release says the Gangster Disciples began in Chicago in the 1970s, and that they punish members who break their "silence and secrecy" rule with death.

The Department of Justice has been "dismantling" the gang which is a "violent and lawless criminal enterprise, Assistant Attorney Brian Benczkowski said, according to the release. He said there have been convictions of 32 co-defendants.

"Their strict chain of command that carried their message of violence and crime throughout the organization posed a serious threat nationwide. They lured young people into the gang with the promise of a better life, and then inducted them into an appalling world of violence and crime," Pak said in the release.

The release says Mobley, Wall and Grice used the gang's structure to "carry out a pattern of violent and serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder, robbery, bank and wire fraud, drug trafficking, and extortion."

One such murder was a triple murder in a Macon, Georgia night club. Wall and his subordinates started a gunfight with rivals, the release says, killing three and wounding three others.

The release says Mobley once shot a teenage victim twice at point-blank range because the teen walked through their crowd, shouting a slogan and wearing a color associated with a rival gang.

The release says a top leader ordered the gang's National Chief Enforcer to travel across the country to kill a witness, who was set to testify against a gang member on drug charges. The woman was shot dead in her home.

According to Pak and the release, Mobley, 42, was in the gang's security and enforcement arm and ran the "HATE Committee," which committed violent acts for the gang. Wall, 43, was the "First C," or local eader, for the Macon area chapter of the gang, and Grice, 30, held a leadership position in the Houston area.

• Mobley, of Atlanta, was convicted of RICO conspiracy, including murder and drug conspiracy; committing an attempted murder in aid of racketeering and using a firearm to do so; and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm relating to the drug crime.
• Wall, of Atlanta, was convicted of RICO conspiracy, including murder.
• Grice, of Houston, was convicted of RICO conspiracy, and a drug conspiracy regarding more than five kilograms of cocaine.

The release says 27 Gangster Disciples defendants have so far pleaded guilty, five were convicted in a separate trial and three are awaiting trial.