13 With Gang Ties Sentenced For Racketeering: Cobb DA

MARIETTA, GA -- Thirteen gang members and associates have been sentenced in connection with racketeering, trafficking and gang act violations in Cobb County, the county's District Attorney Vic Reynolds announced Tuesday.

The gang, known as the Good Product Team (GPT), caught the attention of Cobb special investigators more than three years ago. In August 2014, agents rounded up 48 people and seized seven vehicles, nearly $500,000 and heroin with an estimated street value of $18,897, according to a Cobb County District Attorney's Office news release.

GPT originated in Cobb County eight years ago as a subset of the Piru street gang, Assistant District Attorney Jaret Usher told the court. The group trafficked illegal drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana in the Favor Road area but soon serviced other areas of Georgia and even Tennessee, the news release said.

Ezzard "Red" Evans, 28, the gang's leader, was given a 30-year prison sentence in December after pleading guilty to racketeering, trafficking charges and exercising leadership in a gang, Reynolds said.

Evans' prison sentence includes 14 years behind bars and the remainder on probation. He was also ordered to pay fines up to $300,000 for trafficking.

“This is a great example of how law enforcement works together in Cobb County,” Reynolds said in the news release. “The MCS Task Force devoted many man hours to this case in an effort to remove a criminal street gang involved in the distribution of drugs, primarily heroin, from our county. After the arrests, the agents worked closely with the DA’s Gang Unit to make sure all defendants were prosecuted. The system made sure the heroin users were afforded treatment as part of their sentences, while ensuring the dealers and gang members were sent to prison.”

Here are the fates of the other gang members and associates in the investigation, according to the Cobb DA:

Antoine "Tweezy" Maurice Atkinson, 28, of Marietta pleaded guilty in December to racketeering and trafficking charges, along with gang act violations. He will be sentenced at a later date.

John Franklin Ho, 43, of Douglasville was sentenced to 30 years with 12 years to serve and the rest on probation, and fined $300,000.

Lamar "Moonie" Michael Odom, 27, of Hiram was sentenced to 30 years with 10 years to serve and the rest on probation.

Brandon "Geezy" Rickey McFarland, 27, of Marietta was sentenced to 30 years with 10 years to serve and the rest on probation.

Aurelius "Ray Ray" Giovanni Madison, 26, of Atlanta was sentenced to 20 years, with 10 years to serve in prison and the rest on probation.

Tommy "Stretch" Lee Gresham, 39, of Marietta was sentenced to 20 years with nine years to serve in custody and the rest on probation.

Dequentin "Jizzle" Roshawn Madison, 28, of Smyrna was sentenced to 25 years, with 17 years to serve in custody and the rest on probation.

Bernard "BJ" Mathis, 27, of Austell, was sentenced to 25 years with 10 years to serve in custody and the rest on probation.

Brandon "Sleep" Daqwuan Truitt, 29, of Smyrna was sentenced to 10 years with six years to serve in custody and the rest on probation.

Thomas "Fatboi" Dewayne Works Jr., 29, of Marietta was sentenced to 20 years, with 10 years to serve in custody and the rest on probation.

Works’ mother, Billy Jo "Ma Dukes" Works, 47, of Marietta was sentenced to 20 years with three years to serve in custody and the rest on probation.

Derrick "Moochie" Jarrod McDonald, 24, of Atlanta was sentenced to 20 years, with 10 years to serve in custody and the rest on probation.

Dozens of drug users nabbed in the investigations were sentenced to treatment and probation, the Cobb DA's Office said.
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