Lionel Allen, a 23-year-old New Orleans resident, has been sentenced to life in prison plus 35 years for his involvement in the Young Melph Mafia gang. Allen, also known as ‘Lot,’ was found guilty of violating the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), as well as firearms conspiracy and murder charges.
According to evidence presented at trial, Allen was a leader of the Young Melph Mafia gang, which controlled an area of Central City New Orleans along Martin Luther King Boulevard near the former Melpomene Housing Development. The gang, formed in approximately 2005, continued to exist until 2014.
The Young Melph Mafia participated in a wide-ranging conspiracy to distribute street-level quantities of crack cocaine in Central City and participated in several acts of violence against rival gangs, including the 110ers. The members of the YMM were associates of the members of the Allen family, who were also indicted and convicted in federal court in 2014.
The jury found Allen guilty of conspiracy to possess firearms during and in relation to crimes of violence and drug trafficking crimes, assault with a dangerous weapon, and three murders. Specifically, Allen was convicted of participating in the shooting death of Vennie Smith on April 22, 2012, the shooting and killing of Deshawn Hartford on June 3, 2012, and for being an aider and abettor in the shooting death of Travis Thomas that occurred on the I-10 on May 6, 2013.
Allen was one of eleven defendants originally charged in August 2014 in a superseding indictment involving gun and drug conspiracies. Five YMM defendants pled guilty to the conspiracy charges and were sentenced. Jacobi ‘CO’ Boyd was sentenced to 480 months of incarceration, Alfred ‘AL’ Cobbins was sentenced to 252 months of incarceration, Shawn ‘Gunner’ Gracin was sentenced to 270 months of incarceration, Ruben ‘Rue’ Geiger was sentenced to 220 months of incarceration, and Darius ‘D-Man’ Williams was sentenced to 156 months of incarceration.
U.S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt sentenced Allen to serve life in prison plus 420 months (35 years) with said sentences to run consecutive. Additionally, Allen was ordered to pay $2,000 in special assessment costs. Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans 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.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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