Two leaders of the national gang the Gangster Disciples were sentenced in Alabama for a racketeering conspiracy involving murder. Shauntay Craig, aka Shake, 42, of Birmingham, Alabama, was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Craig pleaded guilty in August 2019 to racketeering conspiracy involving murder and drug trafficking.
Donald Glass, aka Smurf, 30, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced to life plus 120 months in prison. Glass was convicted by a federal jury in May 2019 of racketeering conspiracy involving murder, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, causing death through the use of a firearm for the murder of Robert Dixon, and other firearms crimes.
Craig was a Board Member, the highest-ranking position in the Gangster Disciples. He was responsible for violence, drug trafficking, and murders, including orchestrating the murder of a government informant in Colorado to protect his drug empire.
Glass led the H.A.T.E. Committee, a specialized enforcement team within the Gangster Disciples that reigned terror through its numerous murders, shootings, and robberies. As leader of the H.A.T.E. Committee, Glass ordered his band of teenage shooters, including a juvenile who Glass groomed to be an assassin, to shoot and kill more than 10 people.
The Gangster Disciples are a national gang with roots in Chicago dating back to the 1970s. The gang is highly structured, with a hierarchy of leadership posts known as “Positions of Authority” or “POAs.” The gang strictly enforces rules for its members, the most important of which is “Silence and Secrecy” – a prohibition on cooperating with law enforcement. Violations of the rule are punishable by death.
According to the charges and other information presented in court, the Gangster Disciples were responsible for 24 shootings from 2011 through 2015, including 12 murders.
This case was investigated by the FBI Atlanta’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Atlanta Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, Aurora Police Department (Colorado), IRS – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Services, and the Georgia Department of Corrections, with significant assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Violent Crime|Organized CrimeViolent Crime|Organized CrimeViolent Crime|Organized CrimeViolent Crime|Organized Crime