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Atlanta, Georgia - Lewis Mobley, 45, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years in prison for his role as an enforcer for the Gangster Disciples gang, including shooting a minor in the chest twice for interrupting the filming of a gang rap video.

“These sentences are a major achievement in our fight against gang violence,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Gangster Disciples have ravaged communities across the nation, but now dozens of their leaders and enforcers are off the streets thanks to the extraordinary devotion of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners.”

“For decades, the Gangster Disciples have destroyed communities all across the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine for the Northern District of Georgia. “The gang’s criminal activity in Atlanta included the killing of innocent people, brazen shootings, and prolific drug-trafficking. These horrific acts and the victims lost and injured will not soon be forgotten. Our community remains united and our law enforcement partners are committed to making sure this type of crippling criminal activity is met with our best investigative and prosecutorial effort. We understand that the sentences issued in this case will not mend the hearts of those who lost loved ones to the crimes of the Gangster Disciples, but we do believe they will make our community safer.”

“The Gangster Disciples have wreaked havoc in our neighborhoods for far too long with the drug trafficking, thefts, violent assaults and murders they have committed,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker of FBI's Atlanta Field Office. “Mobley is the last of many members of the ruthless gang to be sentenced as a part of this investigation by the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force and its state and local partners. We are all committed to dismantling these organized and violent criminal enterprises in order to make Atlanta and all of our communities safer for our citizens.”

“These gang members committed a number of heinous crimes including murder, and this sentence ensures the final defendant was held accountable for his actions,” said Assistant Director Calvin Shivers of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “This verdict shows the FBI is firmly committed to putting violent offenders behind bars and dismantling criminal enterprises across the country in order to make our communities safe from violent street gangs.”

In total, 38 defendants have been sentenced in the case, which a federal grand jury indicted on April 27, 2016, and then superseded to add defendants on Oct. 24, 2018. Convicted defendants include the highest ranks of Gangster Disciples leaders from Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and California.

The Gangster Disciples are a national gang with roots in Chicago, Illinois, dating back to the 1970s, and are now active in at least 25 states. The Gangster Disciples brought money into the gang through, among other things, drug trafficking, robbery, carjacking, extortion, wire fraud, credit card fraud, insurance fraud and bank fraud. The gang protected its power and operation through threats, intimidation and violence, including murder, attempted murder, assault and obstruction of justice. It also promoted the Gangster Disciples enterprise through member-only activities, including conference calls, celebrations of the birthday of the Gangster Disciples founder, the annual Gangster Ball, award ceremonies and other events.

The gang was highly structured, with a hierarchy of leadership posts known as “Positions of Authority” or “POAs.” Members were organized into different positions, including board members and governor-of-governors who each controlled geographic regions; governors, assistant governors, chief enforcers and chief of security for each state where Gangster Disciples were active; and coordinators and leaders within each local group.

The gang strictly enforces rules for its members, the most important of which was “silence and secrecy” – a prohibition on cooperating with law enforcement. To enforce discipline among Gangster Disciples and adherence to the strict rules and structure, members and associates were routinely fined, beaten and even murdered, for failing to follow rules.

At trial, the government presented evidence that the Gangster Disciples were responsible for 25 shootings from 2011 through 2015, including eight murders, multiple robberies, the extortion of rap artists to force the artists to become affiliated with the Gangster Disciples, fraud losses of over $450,000, and the trafficking of large amounts of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, illegal prescription drugs and marijuana. Additionally, through trial and pleas, a total of 33 different firearms were forfeited.

Those sentenced by the court include:

The FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Postal Inspection Services, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Clayton County Police Department, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, DeKalb Police Department, Georgia Dept. of Community Supervision, Georgia Department of Corrections, Gwinnett County Police Department, and Marietta Police Department investigated the case.

Principal Deputy Chief Kim S. Dammers and Trial Attorneys Conor Mulroe and Hans Miller of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Buchanan, Erin Spritzer, and Stephanie Gabay-Smith of the Northern District of Georgia prosecuted the case.