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Four Pittsburgh Crips Members Plead Guilty to Racketeering Charges
A hard-hitting crackdown on organized crime in Pittsburgh has yielded a significant victory as four members of the city’s Crips street gang pleaded guilty to racketeering charges this week.
Vance Pearson, 25, aka ‘Vinny P,’ Rayshawn Malachi, 25, aka ‘Melly Mel,’ Arthur Davis, 24, aka ‘Seven,’ and Phillip Turner, 22, aka ‘Philly C’ each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering conspiracy before Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond.
Davis also pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder under the violent crimes in aid of racketeering activity statute. In addition, Turner pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a carjacking he and an indicted co-conspirator committed at gunpoint on Sept. 4, 2007, and a charge of possession of a firearm on Dec. 15, 2009.
According to the guilty pleas, Pearson, Malachi, Davis, Turner, and others participated in a pattern of racketeering activity that included multiple acts involving gunpoint robberies, attempted murders, distribution of controlled substances, including cocaine, heroin, and crack cocaine, and acts of obstruction of justice and intimidation.
As part of the gang’s operations, the Northview Heights/Fineview Crips had been maintaining exclusive control over drug trafficking in the Northside neighborhood through continuous violence and intimidation of rivals and witnesses.
The charged individuals have been involved in multiple acts of violence and intimidation, including shootings, robberies, and possession of firearms. The gang’s activities have been ongoing since 2002, with the Brighton Place Crips forming an alliance with the Northview Heights Crips in 2003 to expand their drug trafficking territory and increase their capability for violence.
The guilty pleas of these four individuals mark a significant victory in the ongoing efforts to dismantle the Northview Heights/Fineview Crips and bring those responsible for their violent activities to justice.
Defendant Information: Vance Pearson, Rayshawn Malachi, Arthur Davis, Phillip Turner
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to engage in a racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder, carjacking, possession of a firearm
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Crime Date: Ongoing since 2002
Sentence: Plea agreements in place, awaiting sentencing
Category: Organized Crime
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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