Baltimore, Maryland – In a shocking turn of events, Zeno Burnette, a 24-year-old Baltimore man, pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy, including attempted murder and murder, as part of the violent Baltimore street gang known as the Cruddy Conniving Crutballs or ‘Triple C.’
According to his guilty plea, Burnette admitted to engaging in a pattern of criminal racketeering activity between 2015 and 2020, including more than a dozen murders and numerous non-fatal shootings, robberies, and carjackings. The violent criminal acts were committed in the effort to promote the reputation of Triple C and to instill fear in the neighborhood. Other names for the enterprise are ‘SCL’ and recently, ‘TRD.’
Burnette also admitted to participating in at least five attempted murders, including the attempted murders of two rival gang members, and the December 2018 murder of Corey Moseley. He also admits that his co-conspirators committed other acts that he did not participate in, which included sixteen murders, at least twenty attempted robberies, two robberies, and three carjackings.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron, Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department, and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
Burnette’s co-defendants, Rashaud Nesmith, a/k/a Shaud, age 21, and Michael Chester, a/k/a Mikkie, age 23, both of Baltimore, pled guilty to their participation in a racketeering conspiracy in June 2022. Chester will be sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, while Nesmith will be sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.
Burnette and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Burnette will be sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for January 6, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles.
Mandatory Facts: Defendant: Zeno Burnette; Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to Participate in a Racketeering Conspiracy; City and State: Baltimore, Maryland; Exact Date: 2022; Sentence or Outcome: 20 years in federal prison.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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