Leaders of two gangs that federal prosecutors said plagued the streets of Detroit and other locales across the country with violence, drugs and intimidation will be sentenced after they were found guilty during separate jury trials that wrapped up Friday in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
Billy Arnold, 37, a leader of the Seven Mile Bloods street gang, which terrorized Detroit's east side, was convicted of 22 counts, including two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, 11 counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, as well as racketeering conspiracy and multiple firearms offenses, federal prosecutors in Detroit announced Saturday. He was also known as "B-Man" and "Killa," per court documents.
In a separate case, prosecutors announced that three high-ranking leaders of the Almighty Vice Lords Nation, which operated across the U.S., were convicted of RICO conspiracy. They are:
- Martin Murff, 54, of Chicago, who had the title "prince" in the organization. Prosecutors said he was the highest-ranked Mafia Insane Vice Lord in the country and a member of the national leadership. He was also known as "P" and "Marty," per court records.
- Kevin Fordham, 53, of Detroit, another "prince." Authorities said he was among the highest-ranked Insane Vice Lords in Michigan and a member of the national leadership. Court records state his nickname was "Spaghetti."
- Eddie Reid, 39, of Detroit, a "chief," and also a top-ranking Mafia Insane Vice Lord in Michigan. He was known as "Twellve" and "Lahabb," per court records.
Federal prosecutors said more than 20 other members of the Almighty Vice Lords Nation were indicted as a result of this investigation and await trial. The jury acquitted Kenneth Johnson, who prosecutors said will be returned to the Michigan Department of Corrections to serve a lengthy sentence for an unrelated conviction.
Sentencing lies ahead
Prosecutors said in a release that Arnold was the 20th member or associate of the Seven Mile Bloods gang to be convicted as a result of that separate investigation. He faces mandatory life in prison when sentenced April 10, they said.
Attorneys for Arnold and Reid could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.
Murff's attorney, Linda Ashford, told the Free Press: "the jury has spoken, and we'll just proceed to the sentencing."
Jerome Sabbota, an attorney representing Fordham, said his client isn't happy that he was convicted, but he is happy that he was acquitted of some of the charges and that he will be sentenced to substantially less time in prison. He said Fordham can and will appeal.
Neither Ashford nor Sabbota have received notices for their clients' sentencing dates.
U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said Arnold's guilty verdict "is the final chapter in the case of the Seven Mile Bloods — a gang who for years terrorized residents living on the east side of Detroit. The case against SMB, and against Billy Arnold in particular, is an example of what can happen when we focus on those few responsible for so much violence."
ZIP Code 4-8-2-0-Die
Ison said the people in the community "who were victimized by this group will receive some measure of justice. And with today's verdict, and with the help of the vast majority of the residents of this neighborhood who want peace, we can once and for all put the terrible carnage of the 'Red Zone' behind us."
The Seven Mile Bloods or "SMB" operated between Gratiot Avenue and Kelly Road and between Seven and Eight Mile roads. Members referred to the area as the "Red Zone" and "4-8-2-0-Die" as the ZIP code is 48205, per a release indicating evidence was presented during trial.
It stated the gang had an ongoing war with an alliance of other gangs on the city's east side stemming from a murder Arnold is accused of committing in July 2014.
Federal prosecutors said Arnold, who was on parole at that time, encountered two rival gang members during a meeting at a parole office in Detroit. He waited outside until the rivals left and followed them and their two companions a short distance before opening fire, killing one and seriously injuring another.
More:Seven Mile Bloods gangster gets 40 years prison, no parole
According to a release, the gang and its rivals violently attacked one another and posted "hit lists" on social media. Prosecutors said the violence "reached a boiling point" in 2015 when Arnold killed one rival gang member and shot several others in a one-month span. One of the victims was taking his young daughters for a walk and was paralyzed, they said.
Federal prosecutors said Arnold and a fellow gang member were arrested after a high-speed chase in Detroit in September 2015. Authorities recovered an assault rifle from the vehicle that they said was used in one murder and several other shootings.
More than 20 firearms, including several high-powered assault rifles, were seized during the investigation, they said.
In the Almighty Vice Lords Nation case, prosecutors said evidence showed a "sprawling criminal enterprise which committed acts of violence, drug dealing and other crimes across the country."
More:2nd gangster gets 25 years in prison for revenge killing caught on FBI pole camera
The enterprise began and is headquartered in Chicago, with different branches, each with leadership that answers to a board in Chicago, prosecutors said. They said the trial involved the Mafia Insane Vice Lords and the Insane Vice Lords branches.
They said evidence showed the leaders worked together under the umbrella of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation and they or their members would commit acts of racketeering, including murder, drug trafficking and witness intimidation. One seizure netted more than 2.5 kilograms of fentanyl destined for Detroit, according to a release.
"These defendants posed as legitimate community members while overseeing an interstate criminal enterprise that killed and maimed people in both Michigan and Illinois. Their flagrant assault on our way of life ends today with this just verdict," said James Deir, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Detroit.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
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