Elvis and The Memphis Mafia

A monumental oral biography filled with raucous joy, aching loss and terrible poignancy, Elvis and the Memphis Mafia, is the first book to capture the King – the man and the phenomenon – in his full complexity. Through revealing interviews with three of Elvis’s closest friends, who were also his protectors and rescuers, Alanna Nash achieves the first true mapping of Elvis’s psyche.

Billy Smith – Elvis’s first cousin and the person he reputedly loved most after his own mother – Marty Lacker – best man at his wedding and foreman of the ‘Memphis Mafia’, the King’s handpicked group of gatekeepers and confidants – and Lamar Fike – the touring crew member who accompanied him into the Army – were with Elvis from his teens to his final days and provide unique access to the greatest of all rock and roll legends. The revelations cut through every aspect of Elvis’s life, from the childhood seeds of his drug dependency, through his fear for his mother’s life and his plan to change his identity, to his bizarre self-mutilation. No one who reads this symphonic blending of three proud, ribald, sad and ultimately wistful voices can fail to be profoundly moved.

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2 Members of the “Insane Crip Gangsters” Charged with Sex Trafficking #Slavery

An indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging brothers Gladimir Thomas and Ronald Thomas, members of the Brooklyn-based “Insane Crip Gangsters,” a subset of the Crips street gang, with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and promoting prostitution. The defendants were scheduled to be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Steven L. Tiscione.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the charges.

“As alleged, over a period of years the defendants forced a woman to prostitute herself, while they enriched themselves at her expense,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “This Office will continue to work with the FBI and our local law enforcement partners to put an end to the criminal acts of those who seek to profit from sexual slavery.”

As alleged in the indictment and court filings, from 2014 through 2018, the defendants used violence and threats of violence to force their victim into prostitution. As part of their coercion, they plied her with drugs and deprived her of food and sleep, and demonstrated their control over their victim by tattooing their names on her body. The defendants then brazenly promoted their criminal acts on the internet and social media.

If convicted of sex trafficking, both defendants face a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment, and a maximum of life in prison.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Phil Selden is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendants:

GLADIMIR THOMAS (also known as “Sleep,” “Sleep Boss” and “Daddy”)
Age: 31
Brooklyn, New York

RONALD THOMAS (also known as “Roco,” “Roco Da Boss” and “Daddy”)
Age: 27
Brooklyn, New York

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Chicago Mob Infamous Locations Map

A map of Infamous Chicago Mob Locations. The map will be updated periodically.

You can click on the blue place markers to expand the section for information on each location. Feel free to nominate additional addresses for inclusion.



View Larger Map

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Violent Fights Between Vice Lords and Gangster Disciples Place Mississippi Prisons on Lockdown, Leaves Five Dead, Connected to Chicago

“I must live and die by a sword to be an Almighty Vice Lord.”

Those words are from the Vice Lords literature, and when you become a legitimate Vice Lord, you have to learn that document by heart.

The Gangster Disciples literature states that they "would overturn this system without hesitation because they have absolutely nothing to lose... by the ballot or the bullet."

Jimmy Anthony speaks for the Mississippi Association of Gang Investigators, or MAGI. “Myself and other MAGI members have resources inside the facilities that are gang members that are contacting us and letting us know what’s going on,” he said.

The gang investigators are a group of cops from all over the state that gather and share information in order to draw a bigger picture of gang activity around the state. They said they've actually warned state officials that this day could come in the prisons.

“This is reality. It’s happening today. It’s been building for about three years, and we’ve talked about it, we’ve tried to share it," Anthony said. "This is not kids playing basketball on the street corner. This is a multi-billion dollar narcotics business.”

Informants are telling MAGI investigators that there have been guards who gave keys to inmates which allowed them to get to other inmates they wanted to attack. They said the fight started with the Vice Lords and the Gangster Disciples started to retaliate.

“The people who perpetrated this violence will be charged and brought to justice. Gang violence will not be tolerated in state prisons or on our streets,” tweeted Gov. Phil Bryant on Friday. And it’s quite possible the violence isn’t over yet, state law enforcement sources said.

Both the Vice Lords and the Gangster Disciples in Mississippi are “plugged” into Chicago, which means that they receive orders from leadership there. “Any major moves must be approved by Chicago because they have that plug,” said Anthony. “But by having that plug, it also gives them backup.”

According to MDOC, Denoris Howell, the last inmate who died, was not involved in one of the situations that stemmed from the gang wars. Inmates housed in Unit 29 where the riots took place have been moved to another unit so everyone is in a cell now.

“I received a briefing today from MDOC on the prison gang violence. Grateful to those working to restore order and safety. That is the first priority. Then we need answers and justice on the people who perpetrated this violence. Any loss of life is tragic and must be addressed,” he tweeted. “There is much work to be done in our correctional system. Until the transition, we will be working to get more information and offering our assistance to the current leadership.”

The Department of Public Safety issued a statement on Friday as well. “DPS will continue to work diligently with the Mississippi Department of Corrections and will provide all available resources in order to bring resolution to this current situation," said Commissioner Marshall Fisher. “Commissioner Hall and I are in communication regarding the situation and are closely monitoring gang related issues that could be contributing factors.”

MAGI officials say their goal is simply to stop the killing.

“Mainly we need to pray. We need God on our side. We’ve lost enough life," Anthony said. "We don’t need to lose any more people in our prisons, we don’t need to lose any of our guards, and we don’t need to lose any more of our law enforcement over this.”

The names of those killed in the gang war so far are:

Terrandance “Kaboom” Dobbins, 36
Walter Gates, 25
Gregory Emary, 26
Unidentified Inmate, age unknown

Thanks to Therese Apel.

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Special Circumstances Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, and Attempted Murder Charges Filed Against Mongolian Boys Society Gang Members

Criminal charges have been filed against multiple Mongolian Boys Society gang members in both the Fresno County Superior Court and in the United States District Court related to the murders of four (4) victims and the attempted murders of twelve (12) victims at a Sunday Night football watch party on the evening of November 17, 2019, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office have announced.

The Federal Felony Complaint filed in U.S. District Court today alleges that Fresno residents Pao Vang, 30; Jhovanny Delgado, 19; and Johnny Xiong, 25, conspired to commit murder in aid of racketeering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1959(a)(5).

According to the criminal complaint, on Nov. 17, 2019, members and associates of the Mongolian Boys Society conspired to commit murder. At a meeting, the defendants and others selected a target residence, chose shooters, provided them with guns, and drove to the target location. Vang, Delgado, and Xiong attended the meeting outlining the planned retaliation and understood that the objective was to murder individuals at the designated target residence. They were designated as lookouts and positioned themselves on street corners near the target residence to report the presence of law enforcement.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court.

The Felony Complaint filed in Superior Court alleges that Ger Lee (27, of Fresno), Anthony Montes (27, of Fresno), Porge Kue (26, of Fresno), and Billy Xiong (25, of Fresno) committed the crimes of:

Four Counts of Murder [P.C. § 187(a)];
One Count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder [P.C. § 182/187(a)]; and
Twelve Counts of Attempted Murder [P.C. § 664/187(a)].
The murder charges also include two (2) special circumstances as to the four named defendants pursuant to Penal Code section 190.2 that allege:

            1.)  The defendants committed multiple murders [P.C. § 190.2(a)(3)]; and

            2.)  The murders were committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang [P.C. § 190.2(a)(22)].

That Complaint also contains the additional allegations that the four named defendants committed the crimes for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal street gang [P.C. § 186.22(b)], that they personally and intentionally discharged a firearm that caused great bodily injury or death [P.C. § 12022.53(d)], and that they personally and intentionally discharged a firearm [P.C. § 12022.53(c)].

If convicted of these charges in State Court, these defendants face a sentence of either Death or Life in Prison.  The District Attorney’s Office is currently conducting a necessary investigation, and will make a determination and announcement regarding the death penalty at a later date.

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