A jury in federal court sentenced three members of a national gang to many years in prison for heinous crimes committed in Detroit.
The US Department of Justice stated on Thursday that three members of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation (AVLN) were convicted of RICO conspiracy, murder, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses on April 23.
United States Attorney Dawn Ison made the announcement, claiming that evidence presented at the trial demonstrated that the AVLN was a massive criminal operation that perpetrated acts of violence, drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and other crimes across the country.
According to officials, the gang is organized into various branches that report to a “board” in Chicago.
The trial involves Detroit gang members.
The DOJ stated that three people were convicted, including:
- “Terry Douglas, 44, of Detroit, who bore the title of “Chief” and was the Traveling Vice Lords’ Michigan chief. Douglas was sentenced to sixty years in jail.
- Schuyler Belew, 31, of Detroit, was the Traveling Vice Lords’ Detroit leader and the “Universal Elite” title holder. Belew was sentenced to sixty years in jail.
- The Traveling Vice Lords’ “Chief Enforcer” was Devun Baskerville, 34, of Detroit. “Baskerville was sentenced to 70 years in prison.”
The evidence presented at the trial proved that the three gang members collaborated to further the AVLN, including murder, drug trafficking, and witness intimidation.
In federal court, the jury heard testimony about a shooting at a Detroit park in which Baskerville acted on Douglas and Belew’s orders to murder a person suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and attempted to murder his girlfriend by shooting several times into her car as she attempted to drive away.
Her two little children were also in the car, and they were unharmed. Officials said the girlfriend had bullet wounds but is well. She was pregnant at the time.
A man called Lawon Carter was also found guilty of narcotics trafficking and weapons charges. His sentencing date is set for April 28, 2025.
“The sentences handed down in this case should send a clear message to violent offenders who terrorize our neighborhoods: we won’t stop until you are brought to justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “It is my sincere hope that these sentences bring some closure to the victim’s family.”
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