Roosevelt ‘TuTu’ Sumpter Gets 20 Years for Crips Drug Ring

Roosevelt Sumpter, also known as “TuTu,” 43, of Los Angeles, is headed to federal prison for 20 years after admitting he ran the drug trafficking engine of the Five Deuce Broadway Gangster Crips (BGC). The self-styled kingpin pleaded guilty in July to racketeering conspiracy, crack cocaine distribution, illegal firearm possession, and selling drugs near schools—crimes that fueled violence and addiction in South Los Angeles for years.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero handed down the 240-month sentence, marking a major blow to one of the city’s most entrenched street gangs. After completing his term, Sumpter will face a decade of supervised release—during which he is banned from stepping foot in the BGC’s violent turf in South L.A. Prosecutors described Sumpter as the central drug supplier for the gang, overseeing stash houses and funneling crack cocaine to foot soldiers for street sales.

According to a sentencing memorandum, Sumpter wasn’t just a supplier—he was armed and operational. He admitted to possessing firearms, including a sawed-off shotgun, during three separate drug operations. His role went beyond distribution: he directed other gang members to move narcotics, manage storage locations, and maintain the criminal infrastructure that kept the BGC afloat.

“In addition to being a prolific supplier of narcotics himself, this defendant employed other BGC gang members to run stash houses and directed them to transport drugs to other sellers,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Given his longtime involvement with the gang, his strong presence in the gang’s drug activities and because he was often armed, justice has been served with the imposition of the two-decade prison sentence.”

Sumpter was one of 72 defendants named in a sprawling federal racketeering indictment targeting the BGC, a gang that has dominated drug sales west of L.A.’s Skid Row for two decades. The indictment details a criminal enterprise rooted in murder, robbery, extortion, witness intimidation, and narcotics trafficking. Seventy-one of those charged have now faced court; the last remains in state custody. Four top-tier defendants are set to stand trial January 3.

The investigation, dubbed Operation “Gremlin Riderz,” was a joint effort by the FBI and LAPD under the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force. Critical support came from the California Department of Corrections, multiple local police departments, and the L.A. City Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mack Jenkins, Max Shiner, and Wilson Park. Meanwhile, BGC leaders Tyrine Martinez and Tracy Harris, who pleaded guilty this summer, face potential life sentences at their December 19 hearing before Judge Otero.