Maurice McLain: 40 Years for Thug Relations Gang Murder

Maurice McLain, 33, of Newport News, Virginia, is going away for a long time — 40 years behind bars — for his role in a brutal racketeering conspiracy tied to the Thug Relations street gang. The sentence, handed down today by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson, marks the end of a years-long legal battle stemming from a reign of terror that left bodies in its wake and terrorized neighborhoods across Newport News.

McLain was convicted on June 17, 2016, following a grueling three-week jury trial that exposed the violent underbelly of the Thug Relations gang. Court documents reveal McLain wasn’t just a participant — he was a committed member of the organization responsible for drug trafficking, armed home invasions, a string of shootings, and at least one cold-blooded murder. The jury found him guilty of the July 5, 2007, killing of 17-year-old Aaron Sumler at the Aqueduct Apartments, a crime that shocked the city and went unsolved for years.

The murder charge was just one count in a sprawling federal indictment. The racketeering conspiracy painted a picture of a tightly organized criminal enterprise that used fear, violence, and the drug trade to maintain control. McLain, prosecutors argued, wasn’t a low-level foot soldier — he was embedded in the gang’s violent operations, helping drive its criminal agenda through intimidation and force.

Even as he stood trial in 2016, McLain was already serving a 15-year federal sentence for using a firearm during a narcotics trafficking offense. With the new 40-year term running consecutively, he will serve a total of 50 years in federal prison — effectively a life sentence for the 33-year-old at the time of sentencing.

The case was brought by Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, alongside FBI Norfolk Special Agent in Charge Martin Culbreth and Newport News Police Chief Richard W. Myers. They called the sentence a hard-won victory for justice and a message to violent gangs operating in Hampton Roads. “This prosecution dismantled a dangerous criminal network,” Boente stated after the hearing. “No one is above the law, not even those who hide behind street loyalty and silence.”

Prosecution was led by Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Samuels and Lisa R. McKeel, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Yvonne Garcia. Court records, including this case (No. 4:14-cr-59), are available through the Eastern District of Virginia’s U.S. Attorney website, the District Court’s public docket, or PACER.