Antonio Simmons, Gang Leadership, Virginia 2023

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus an additional 40 years in prison for his leadership role in a racketeering conspiracy, multiple murders, multiple attempted murders, and various drug and gun crimes, all as part of his leadership of the Nine Trey Gangsters Bloods gang.

Simmons, aka “Murdock,” 41, was found guilty of the two murders that occurred during attempted robberies he directed his men to commit. The victims included two mothers of young children and one grandmother who was murdered, along with her boyfriend, because gang members believed she was cooperating with the police in an investigation of another shooting carried out by a Nine Trey member just weeks before.

Simmons was also convicted of ordering his associates to murder high-ranking members of a rival Hampton Roads-based Nine Trey Gangsters “line.” When they were unable to find two of their targets, they drove to the house of a third man they planned to shoot and shot the woman who opened the door six times; her life was saved by the quick response of local EMTs and the Portsmouth Police Department.

The evidence at trial showed that Simmons bragged about the shootings carried out by his associates, including Anthony Foye, aka “Ace,” and Nathaniel Mitchell, aka “Savage,” who were engaged in a competition to see who could gain a reputation within the gang for shooting the most people.

Simmons and his associates were charged for their roles in a spate of extreme violence in December 2015 that ended with five people dead and four others shot during seven separate shootings that crossed nearly every city in South Hampton Roads. Nearly all of the victims in the case were unaffiliated with the Nine Trey Gangsters or any other gang.

“Simmons and his gang committed horrific violence across nearly every community in Hampton Roads,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Their actions shattered five families and took parents away from their children. That they did these acts because the gang needed money and to enhance their reputation speaks volumes about what gangs really are – as opposed to what they claim to be when they recruit young men and women in our neighborhoods.”

The men charged and the sentences they received are as follows:

Antonio Lee Simmons, aka “Murdock,” “Doc,” 41, Norfolk, Racketeering conspiracy; Heroin distribution conspiracy; Murder in Aid of Racketeering (2); Attempted murder in aid of racketeering in aid of racketeering (4); Assault with a dangerous weapon (3); Use of a firearm resulting in death (2); Use of a firearm during a crime of violence (4); total sentence: three consecutive life terms plus 40 years.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/leader-nine-trey-gangsters-sentenced-life-prison