GANGLAND GODFATHER

  When Jonathan Rivera testified in his own defense in his murder trial Thursday, he was a soft-spoken former honor student who had found himself, through no fault of his own, living in a tough Salem neighborhood. Rivera, 23, addressed the prosecutor as "ma'am" and even told jurors his first thought after stabbing Shaundell Turner, 30, outside a Salem park nearly two years ago was "Oh, my goodness" as the reputed gang member with the street name "Tyson" kept coming at him on April 7, 2010. Yesterday, jurors got to learn about another side of Rivera, after he was confronted with evidence that he too was a member of a violent street gang — that he even volunteered to be "jumped in," or beaten, by other gang members as an initiation into the Deuce Boyz/Soldiers — and that he also sold drugs. Prosecutor Kristen Buxton was hoping to undercut Rivera's claims that he acted solely in self-defense and that he was simply a frightened young man s...

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 Bur...

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 init...

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-a...

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,...

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 ...

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 defe...

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...