Five members of the Hoover Criminal Gang have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in racketeering and firearms crimes in Humboldt, Tennessee.
Markell Young, 33, was the last of five defendants to be sentenced in this case. Young, Octavius Ferguson, 27, and Jordan Powell, 25, were convicted after trial, while Bakari Lenon, 25, and Monterio Ross, 29, pleaded guilty.
The defendants were members of the Hoover Criminal Gang subset known as the 83rd or Eight Tray, who engaged in racketeering activities including murder, robberies, and trafficking of marijuana, cocaine, and cocaine base.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on Jan. 31, 2017, the defendants murdered a suspected member of the rival Gangster Disciples gang in Humboldt. Young ordered Ferguson, Powell, Lenon, and Ross to commit the murder, which they carried out by going to the victim’s home and indiscriminately shooting several firearms through the open front door, killing the victim.
The evidence showed that the defendants’ participation in the murder led to their promotion to higher ranks within the Hoover Criminal Gang.
The defendants were charged with various crimes, including murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, use of a firearm during and in relation to murder, and causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The sentences imposed on the defendants are as follows: Young was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Ferguson and Powell were sentenced to life in prison, and Lenon and Ross were sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI and ATF, with valuable assistance provided by state and local law enforcement partners.
The sentences demonstrate the commitment of federal, state, and local law enforcement to dismantling gang networks that spread violence and fear in communities.
Markell Young, Real Full Name: Markell Young, Exact Criminal Charges: Aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during and in relation to murder in aid of racketeering, Sentence: 15 years in prison, City and State: Humboldt, Tennessee, Exact Date: Not specified, Outcome: Sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Octavius Ferguson, Real Full Name: Octavius Ferguson, Exact Criminal Charges: Murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, use of a firearm during and in relation to murder, and causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, Sentence: Life in prison, City and State: Humboldt, Tennessee, Exact Date: Not specified, Outcome: Sentenced to life in prison.
Jordan Powell, Real Full Name: Jordan Powell, Exact Criminal Charges: Murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, use of a firearm during and in relation to murder, and causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, Sentence: Life in prison, City and State: Humboldt, Tennessee, Exact Date: Not specified, Outcome: Sentenced to life in prison.
Bakari Lenon, Real Full Name: Bakari Lenon, Exact Criminal Charges: Causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to murder in aid of racketeering, Sentence: 30 years in prison, City and State: Humboldt, Tennessee, Exact Date: Not specified, Outcome: Sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Monterio Ross, Real Full Name: Monterio Ross, Exact Criminal Charges: Causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to murder in aid of racketeering, Sentence: 30 years in prison, City and State: Humboldt, Tennessee, Exact Date: Not specified, Outcome: Sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Related Federal Cases
- Tomarcus Baskerville, Racketeering, Tennessee 2022 · Alabama
- 6 Mile Chedda Grove Racketeering, Michigan 2023 · Alabama
- Cornelius Q. Hill, Heroin Trafficking with Firearm, Tennessee 2017 · Tennessee
- Anthony Lamont Adams, Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, Tennessee 2016 · Tennessee
- Jarvis Cooper, Federal Drug Trafficking, Tennessee 2018 · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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