Cleveland Gang Member Sentenced to 12 Years for RICO, Fentanyl and Firearm Convictions

CLEVELAND — A member of the Fully Blooded Felons gang received a 12-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy, fentanyl distribution and carrying a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, the Justice Department announced May 29.

The defendant is one of multiple Fully Blooded Felons members prosecuted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act for crimes that included distribution of fentanyl and other controlled substances in the Cleveland area. The RICO count encompassed a pattern of predicate offenses that federal prosecutors tied directly to the gang’s operations.

The firearm charge carried a mandatory consecutive sentence.

The sentence marks the operational result of a multi-year investigation that dismantled parts of the gang’s drug-distribution network. Prior to the plea, the defendant faced potential life imprisonment on the RICO and drug counts; the 12-year term reflects the binding plea agreement accepted by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

Downstream, the conviction requires the defendant to serve the full term minus any good-time credit, followed by supervised release. It also triggers asset-forfeiture proceedings standard in RICO drug cases and bars the defendant from lawful firearm possession for life.

The ruling obligates the Bureau of Prisons to designate a facility within the next several weeks and starts the clock on any potential appeals deadline under federal rules.

This sentencing continues the Northern District of Ohio’s application of RICO to Cleveland-based gangs involved in the regional fentanyl trade. The Fully Blooded Felons case is part of a broader enforcement initiative that has produced similar guilty pleas and lengthy sentences for other gang members on identical charges.