Shot and Killed Two Fellow Gang Members for Not Following
Gang Rules
Baltimore, Maryland - Dontray Johnson, a/k/a “Gambino,”
“Bino,” and “Tray,” age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty today to
racketeering and drug conspiracies related to their participation in the gang
activities of the Murdaland Mafia Piru (MMP), a subset of the Bloods gang. As part of his gang activities, Johnson admitted
committing two murders, and to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for
the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field
Division; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department;
Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; Baltimore
City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney
Scott Shellenberger.
“Federal authorities worked with the Baltimore City and
Baltimore County Police Departments and State’s Attorney’s Offices to dismantle
a criminal organization that dealt drugs and despair in Northwest Baltimore and
Baltimore County,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “We are committed to using this sort of
coordinated effort to bring to justice the violent gang members that terrorize
our communities.”
“The Murdaland Mafia Piru and Dontray Johnson showed no
concern for the Baltimore communities they flooded with murder, violence, and
drugs. They irreparably damaged the families of their victims and the
neighborhoods in which they operated,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Cekada.
“Today’s plea shows the importance of investigating and prosecuting these
violent groups who willfully destroy communities.”
According to Johnson’s plea agreement and court documents,
MMP, also known as the “Mob” or “Mobsters,” is a violent subset of the Bloods
gang that operates in Maryland and elsewhere.
MMP was modeled after the Italian Mafia, and was organized
hierarchically, with “the Don,” at the top and various “Bosses,” “Underbosses,”
“Capos,” “Lieutenants,” and “Mobsters” underneath. For many years, MMP has controlled the drug
trade in large swaths of Northwest Baltimore City and neighboring Baltimore
County, including Forest Park, Windsor Mill, Gwynn Oak, Howard Park, Woodlawn,
and Walbrook Junction. The gang’s drug
shop in the 5200 block of Windsor Mill Road was particularly lucrative due to
its close proximity to Interstate 70, and it frequently attracted drug
customers driving from Western Maryland and neighboring states. MMP’s members enriched themselves through
drug trafficking and other criminal activities, and using violence and threats
of violence to intimidate or retaliate against witnesses, protect the gang’s
territories, enforce debts, and eliminate rivals.
Johnson admits that he was a member of MMP and participated
in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activities, including
murder, extortion, robbery, witness tampering and retaliation, money
laundering, and drug distribution.
Specifically, Johnson admits that on November 22, 2012, he
murdered MMP member Antoine Ellis, a/k/a Poopy, in the 200 block of North
Forest Park Avenue, because he had shown disloyalty to MMP. Earlier that day, Johnson had posted a
comment to his Facebook account saying “198 n risen,” a reference to that
year’s murder tally in Baltimore City.
On September 29, 2015, Johnson murdered MMP member Brian Johnson, a/k/a
Nutty B, because he refused to pay gang dues that Johnson was collecting for an
MMP member.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on November 1, 2013,
Johnson was featured in two rap videos that were posted to a social media
website. The first video, “Boy You
Lying,” was posted to enhance the gang’s status, intimidate rivals, and
discourage anyone from selling drugs in MMP territory without paying its
members. The second video, “Str8
Mobbin,” was posted to assert the gang’s dominance over its drug territories. It features Johnson with other MMP members,
as well as footage of various MMP drug locations. Johnson brandishes a firearm in the video.
On July 31, 2015, law enforcement executed a search warrant
at Johnson’s residence in Owings Mills and recovered 28 grams of heroin, 70
rounds of .22-caliber ammunition, a bulletproof vest, $1,480 in cash, and an
“owe sheet” with a tally of drug debts owed by MMP members and associates.
Finally, Johnson admits that he conspired with other MMP
members to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin and 280 grams of crack
cocaine, and that he knew that during the conspiracy between one and three
kilograms of heroin and between 280 and 840 grams of crack cocaine would be
distributed.
In addition to Johnson, fourteen of twenty-six defendants
have pleaded guilty in the case. Trial
is tentatively scheduled for November 5, 2018 through February 1, 2019.
Johnson and the government have agreed that if the Court
accepts the plea agreement, Johnson will be sentenced to 30 years in
prison. U.S. District Judge Catherine C.
Blake has scheduled sentencing for Johnson on November 16, 2018 at 10:30 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a
program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities
they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for
everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions
reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on
targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in
partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the
local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce
violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the ATF, the
Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police Departments, and the Baltimore City
and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Offices for their work in the
investigation and prosecution. Mr. Hur
thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Christina Hoffman and Lauren E.
Perry, who are prosecuting the case.
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