Ride or Die Gang Members Sentenced to Life in Prison
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that Deloyd Jones, a/k/a “Puggy,” age 24, and Byron Jones, a/k/a “Big Baby,” age 25, both of New Orleans, were sentenced to life in prison yesterday after being found guilty of violating the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) as well as drug conspiracy, firearms conspiracy, and murder charges.
U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan handed down the sentences, which will see the defendants spend the remainder of their lives behind bars. The guilty verdicts were a result of an 8-day trial in August 2015, in which the defendants were found to be members of the Ride or Die gang, also known as “R.O.D.”
The Ride or Die gang was formed in or about 2007 and continued to operate until in or about 2013. During the federal investigation into the gang, agents discovered that the defendants used a house on Mandeville Street as a base of operations to package, sell, and store narcotics, as well as store firearms.
The gang controlled the St. Roch neighborhood through violence and threats of violence, including murder, attempted murder, and assaults. Deloyd Jones was found guilty of four attempted murders and two murders, while Byron Jones was found guilty of two attempted murders and one murder.
The defendants were three of twelve defendants charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine base and possess firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes. Nine other defendants had previously pleaded guilty to various charges, with sentences ranging from 48 months to 121 months in prison.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of the metro area’s Multi-Agency Gang Unit (MAG) in investigating this matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nolan D. Paige and Marquest Meeks, along with former Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Ebarb, who was assigned from the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office.
Related Federal Cases
- FDIC Appoints Five New Members to Advisory Committee on Community Banking · Mississippi
- Louisiana Man Gets Life for Orange Co. Meth Conspiracy · Texas
- Schneider Gets Life for Hate-Crime Murder of Gay Man · Texas
- Louisiana Nursing Home Owner Hit With Exclusion Due to Squalid Conditions, Deaths · Louisiana
- Eberley’s FDIC Retirement: A Decade of Risk Oversight to End · New York
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
