Black Mafia Family

Black Mafia Family

Leader Big Meech (right, in green) and second-in-command J-Bo
Founded	late 1980s; "BMF" name given around the year 2000.
Founding location	Detroit, Michigan
Years active	Late 1980s-2005
Territory	California, South Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Milwaukee, New York, Kentucky, Louisville, St. Louis, Orlando (other states unknown)
Ethnicity	mostly African-American
Membership	Over 150 members indicted thus far, estimated total membership at peak over 500
Activities	Drug trafficking, Money laundering, Murder (none included in indictment, charged separately)
Allies	Crips, Campanella Park Piru

The Black Mafia Family (B M F), was a drug trafficking organization originally based in Detroit, Michigan. Founded by the Flenory Brothers (Demetrius and Terry), the organization began in the late 1980s. By the year 2000, they had established multi-kilogram cocaine distribution cells in cities throughout the United States of America. Through their Los Angeles-based drug source, they had direct links to Mexican-based drug cartels. They established two main hubs for their operation. The Atlanta, Georgia hub, for distribution, was operated by older brother Demetrius, while the Los Angeles, California hub was operated by Terry to handle incoming shipments from Mexico.

Around 2000, the organization tried to legitimize itself by entering the Hip-Hop music business, starting a company called BMF Entertainment. Through BMF Entertainment, it helped promote a number of artists, including Young Jeezy, as well as BMF Entertainment's sole artist, Bleu DaVinci. Before their entrance into the music business, the Flenory Brothers were known to associate with a number of high-profile hip-hop artists, including Jay-Z, Fabolous, and Bun B.

In 2005, the Drug Enforcement Administration indicted members of the Black Mafia Family, ultimately securing convictions of running a Continuing Criminal Enterprise against the Flenory brothers. Both were sentenced to 30 years to life. Subsequent indictments eventually targeted over 150 members of the organization. Prosecutors alleged the organization made over $270 million over the course of the conspiracy.

Flenory brothers

Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and his younger brother Terry "Southwest T" Flenory began their rise in crime by selling $50 bags of crack cocaine on the streets of Southwest Detroit and Ecorse, MI during their high school years. By 2000, they had established multi-kilogram cocaine distribution cells in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Massachusetts, California, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida. A two-year federal investigation of the organization concluded that its membership, estimated at over 500, was extensive and nationwide. Around 2001, there was a split between the brothers, with Terry Flenory moving to Los Angeles with his girlfriend to head his own organization and Demetrius staying in Atlanta with his younger brother MARTEZ SANTONIO(RICH)JACKSON and his mother BETTY(BOO)JACKSON. By 2003, the two had been involved in a major falling out and rarely spoke to one another. Also around this time, they began to refer to their activities as being part of the "Black Mafia Family". Before this, they did not have any formal name to their organization. In a conversation with his sister, caught by the DEA on a wiretap, Terry discussed how he was worried his brother's excessive partying would bring the wrong type of attention to their business.

By the time charges were filed, the government had 900 pages of typed transcripts of wiretapped conversations from Terry's phone in a 5 month period.

In November 2007, the brothers plead guilty to running a continuing criminal enterprise. In September 2008, both brothers were sentenced to 30 years in prison for running a large scale nationwide cocaine trafficking ring across the United States from 2000 through 2005.

With credit for three years time served, "Big Meech", now 41, is scheduled to be released on February 25, 2032 , or around his 61st birthday; "Southwest T", now 39, is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2031and their younger brother MARTEZ SANTONIO JACKSON given 36 months...

Big Meech is serving out his sentence at Atlanta USP in Atlanta, GA. His brother Southwest T is serving his sentence at Herlong FCI in Herlong, CA.

Hip-hop presence

In 2004, World Is BMF's' was nominated for a Source Award. BMF appeared in numerous underground hip-hop DVD magazines, most notably several issues of S.M.A.C.K. DVD Magazine and The Come Up DVD. The organization's most highly visible appearance was in a full-length DVD that was produced by The Raw Report DVD-Magazine, which gave a detailed inside look at their movement. This DVD was featured in the cover article on BMF in the May 2006 issue of VIBE magazine. It received wide acclaim from radio and mixtapes DJs for the song "Streets on Lock", headed by BMF affiliate Bleu Davinci featuring Fabolous and Young Jeezy. A music video was later produced for the hit single, however never released to networks.

Creative Loafing senior editor Mara Shalhoup wrote an award-winning three-part series about the Black Mafia Family titled Hip-Hop's Shadowy Empire, which was the first in-depth report on the organization. Her book on the group BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family was published in March 2010.

Demetrius was interviewed from prison in Issue 35 of Don Diva magazine after his sentencing.

There are many hip hop artists who have been associated with BMF as a group and Big Meech in particular. Some of those artists include Young Jeezy, Bleu DaVinci, Slim Thug, Fabolous, and many other well-known artists.

In February 2009, Demetrius was interviewed from prison by The Source magazine via telephone.

In July 2010, rapper Rick Ross released a song titled, "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)". The song makes reference to Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory as well as Larry Hoover, founder of the Chicago-based street gang the Gangster Disciples. Rapper Young Jeezy released a similarly titled song shortly thereafter, causing a small controversy; however, Young Jeezy has stated it was not in any way a diss song aimed at Ross.

In September 2010, the History Channel aired a segment on its Gangland series about the Black Mafia Family titled "Death Before Dishonor." The segment included interviews with Mara Shalhoup, the author of a book on BMF.

Lifestyle

Alleged BMF stash house in Atlanta; nicknamed "Space Mountain".

File:BMF-TerryLAHome.jpg

Terry Flenory's Los Angeles home.

As depicted in their numerous DVD and music video appearances, BMF members engaged in a lavish lifestyle perhaps not fitting of many up-and-coming hip-hop labels. Big Meech sometimes bought every BMF member his own bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal champagne or Perrier Jouet Rosé while out partying at clubs, which often meant purchasing Cristal by the caseload. The Black Mafia Family was known for throwing upwards of $20,000 in $1 bills in the air and at strippers while at clubs.

The organization frequented many upscale Buckhead area clubs outside Atlanta, including but not limited to Club Chaos, Velvet Room, Justin's, and Compound (where Meech had a lavish birthday party for himself, with live displays of exotic animals, costing well over $100,000.) Demetrius was very fond of strip clubs, and before taking the BMF entourage out to a regular club, they usually went to a strip club beforehand.

Receipts found in a house that was allegedly one of Meech's showed cash purchases of over $23,000 in a single trip to Bang & Olufsen, a high-end audio retailer located inside Phipps Plaza. When going to the club, upper-level members were seen in their own individual high-end luxury cars. In one commonly available video, it shows a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Bentley Continental GT, Lamborghini Murcielago, and Aston Martin Vanquish all parked together and all owned by BMF members.

In addition, when out at the clubs, Big Meech had thrown after-parties in the presidential suite of the Buckhead Westin for his crew, as well as in the presidential suites of other upscale Buckhead area hotels. Court documents reveal one informant relaying information about Big Meech paying off all his debts one day (totaling over $5.5 million in cash) at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Atlanta.

Two homes searched and allegedly lived in by Big Meech were both ultra-modern homes in very upscale suburbs. His brother Terry lived in a multi-million dollar home off of Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles.

Although Terry lived with his girlfriend and children in a fixed home, Demetrius preferred to move from place to place. There were allegedly at least four Atlanta-area homes that he at one point lived in as well as a $30,000 a month rental home in Miami. When he was arrested, he claimed he lived all over with various girlfriends.

Operation Motor City Mafia

Lincoln stretch limo owned by BMF

Hidden compartments inside limousine used to transport cocaine and money

The investigation into the Black Mafia Family began sometime in the early 1990s before there was any name to the organization which Demetrius and Terry headed. The lead-up to the October 2005 indictments began with a series of large drug seizures and subsequent informant testimonies from BMF members. On October 28, 2003, a 2-year Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation began, coordinated by the DEA's Special Operations Division, codenamed "Operation Motor City Mafia".

On April 11, 2004, BMF courier and high-level distributor Jabari Hayes was pulled over in Phelps County, MO along I-40 driving a 40-foot motor home; supposedly for swerving over the fog line. Two suitcases containing approximately 95 kilograms of cocaine and 572 grams of marijuana were found in the back of the motor home after a K-9 unit was alerted to drugs in the vehicle. It was one of the largest drug busts in Missouri history. Three weeks earlier Jabari was pulled over in St. Louis in a 1999 Lincoln Town Car; with $600,000 in cash in the trunk.

In mid-September 2004, a wiretap on a low-level crack dealer in Atlanta, Rafael "Smurf" Allison, led an HIDTA task force to a mid-level dealer named Decarlo Hoskins. Hoskins subsequently turned informant and said he grew up with 2 brothers, Omari McCree and Jeffrey Leahr, who were BMF members and able to supply multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine regularly. Wiretaps revealed that Omari McCree was a high-level distributor for the organization and was favored by Big Meech. On November 5, 2004, Jeffrey Leahr was pulled over with his girlfriend in a Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUV on I-75 in Atlanta due to the wiretaps. In the back seat was a duffle bag containing 10 kilograms of cocaine. They were released later the same day in an attempt to gather more information in regards to their supplier and the organization by use of the wiretaps. Omari and Jeffrey, then in a large amount debt to BMF for the lost kilos, went on the run. When Omari was picked up June 8, 2005, he signed a confidential-source agreement and began to describe his role in BMF. He named "Big Meech" as the source of the cocaine but indicated that he did not actually pick it up from Big Meech himself. According to Omari, Chad "J-Bo" Brown supplied him with cocaine on behalf of Big Meech. These events and a number of others formed the backbone of the government's case against the two brothers.

Although Omari McCree gave investigators information, he never actually testified against anyone in open court. During trial, the government's star witness was William "Doc" Marshall.

Testimony given during various trials says the organization operated as follows: Meech's side of the organization operated 5 stash houses in the Atlanta area, nicknamed "The Gate", "The Horse Ranch", "Space Mountain", "Bugsy Siegel", and "The Elevator". Approximately every 10 days, vehicles would arrive with 100-150 kilograms packed in secret compartments. Workers at the various stash houses were paid to unload the kilograms and place them inside the stash house. Customers who ordered would call in and said they have their vehicle ready (a transportation vehicle to put the narcotics in). Depending on the size of their order, they were directed to a particular stash house where they would pull in, go inside, hand over money in $5,000 bundles. In return, they would receive kilograms in a bag of some sort, open so they could verify they received the correct number of kilos. The kilograms usually went for $20,000 each. The same trap vehicles would then be filled with cash (the proceeds from drug sales) to be sent back to the Mexican sources of supply

Workers inside the stash houses had certain duties; for example, two people may be in charge of counting bulk amounts of cash, usually in the millions. Other people were packing the kilos for customers that were arriving as they were told. Another method the BMF organization received drugs was through large containers at the airport. They picked the containers containing 100-150 kilograms of cocaine and delivered them to the stash houses.

Drug and cash seizures

$576,000 seized in Encino, CA

Seized in January 2005 in Encino, CA.

In addition to the aforementioned drug and cash seizures, the following is a list of seizures allegedly tied to the Black Mafia Family as a whole, as described in the original indictment.

• On or about October 4, 1996 in the Eastern District of Michigan, agents from the U.S. Customs Service (now known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE), working undercover, received approximately $300,000 in cash intended for payment for cocaine from the organization.

• On or about October 29, 1996, U.S. Customs agents in an undercover capacity seized $250,000 in cash also intended for cocaine payment.

• On or about October 3, 1997, police in Spalding County, Georgia seized $143,221 in cash from Martez Jackson, an alleged BMF member.

• On or about May 10, 1999 in Polk County, Texas, police seized approximately 18 kilograms of cocaine.

• On or about September 14, 1999, police in Beaumont, Texas seized $425,190 in cash from Bruce Martin.

• On or about December 2, 2000 in or near Flagstaff, Arizona, police seized approximately 17 kilograms of cocaine.

• On or about February 5, 2001 in Kansas City, Missouri, police seized approximately 9 kilograms of cocaine.

• On or about September 15, 2002 in Collin County, Texas, police seized approximately 23 kilograms of cocaine.

• On or about February 26, 2003, police in Gray County, Texas seized approximately $723,790 in cash from Brian Ronell Garrett and Kim Vernell Williams.

• On or about March 20, 2003, Cleveland Cato purchased a cashier's check with cash in the amount of $4,800.

• On or about August 14, 2003 in Crawford County, Arkansas, police seized approximately 27 kilograms of cocaine.

• On or about March 16, 2004, police in Fenton, Missouri seized $588,605 in cash from Jabari Hayes.

• On or about April 5, 2004 in Florissant, Missouri, police seized approximately 9 kilograms of cocaine.

• On or about April 11, 2004 in St. Louis, Missorui, police seized approximately 113.5 kilograms of cocaine.

• On or about July 28, 2004, police in Atlanta, Georgia seized $199,690 from Martez Jackson

• On or about January 2005, police in Encino, CA seized $576,000.

• On or about January 11, 2005, police in Sherman Oaks, California seized $576,000 in cash from Tonesa Lynette Welch, Terry Flenory's girlfriend.

• On or about January 27, 2005, police in Detroit, Michigan seized $648,550 in cash from Stanley Leon Lackey, Jr. and Derrick Keith Peguese, Jr.

• On or about April 5, 2005, police in Romulus, Michigan seized $580,250 in cash from Stanley Lackey, Jr.

• On or about June 16, 2005 in Woodland Hills, California, police seized approximately 250 kilograms of cocaine; police also seized $1,868,759 in cash from the residence during the raid.

During testimony, one DEA agent testified that just one seizure from the BMF organization was enough to put most mid-level wholesalers out of business. The fact so many large seizures occurred and the organization was still thriving is a testament to their wealth and power.

Allegations of Violence

Prior to "Operation Motor City Mafia" and shortly after its commencement, there were numerous acts of violence alleged to have been committed by BMF members.

• On November 11, 2003, Meech was arrested in connection with the Buckhead-area shooting deaths at club "Chaos" of Anthony "Wolf" Jones, former bodyguard of P. Diddy, and Wolf's childhood friend, Lamont "Riz" Girdy. However, Meech was also wounded in the shooting and was subsequently never indicted.

• On July 25, 2004, at a midtown Atlanta club called the "Velvet Room", a man named Rashannibal "Prince" Drummond was killed. The incident began after alleged 3rd-in-command of BMF, Flemming "Ill" Daniels, nearly backed into Drummond in his Porsche Cayenne Turbo. After Drummond hit the car to alert the driver, the passengers of the car got out and began beating Drummond and his friends. During the fight, a friend of Drummond's fired a warning shot to scare everyone off; it is alleged Ill retrieved his gun, returned fire, then walked over to Drummond and executed him on the ground.

• In September 2004, Ulysses Hackett and girlfriend Misty Carter were executed in their Highland Avenue apartment in Atlanta. Police claim the murders were ordered by Tremayne "Kiki" Graham, then son-in-law of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and alleged associate of BMF. They claim Ulysses was thinking of turning states witness and Graham grew suspicious and ordered their murder.

• On May 10, 2005, Henry "Pookie Loc" Clark was killed by rapper Gucci Mane after an attempted robbery of the rapper by Clark and 4 other men. The five men attacked Gucci Mane in the apartment of a stripper he met earlier that day, but Gucci Mane was armed and managed to fire at the attackers—hitting Clark. The incident occurred in between a "beef" between Gucci Mane and rapper Young Jeezy, a good friend of Meech's. Gucci was later cleared of the murder charges due to acting in self-defense, but Gucci's lawyers alleged the 5 men were ordered by BMF to commit the robbery.

• On May 11, 2005, a fugitive named Deron Gatling was located by a regional drug task force in Chamblee, Georgia. Task force agents found Gatling behind insulation in the attic; at that moment shots were fired from outside the house at law enforcement. They traced the last number called in Gatling's phone to Jerry Davis, leader of BMF's supposed sister organization Sin City Mafia. Police allege Gatling called Davis to report the officers at his house, and Davis ordered the shots to be fired.

• On May 23, 2005, Shane and Kelsey Brown, nephews of famous R&B singer Bobby Brown, were stabbed in the neck with an ice pick at a birthday party at "Justin's", P. Diddy's Atlanta restaurant. Witnesses claim that Marques "Baby Bleu" Dixson, younger brother of BMF Entertainment artist Bleu DaVinci, got into an altercation with the Brown's alongside bodyguards of rapper Fabolous, who was there with Dixson. During the altercation, Dixson is alleged to have stabbed both in the neck, causing permanent disfiguration.

Informants

Bringing "Big Meech", his brother "Southwest T", and other BMF members to trial and ultimately a conviction was based solely upon informant testimony from former BMF members. There were no drugs seized from any of the defendants in the case besides personal use amounts; the personal use amounts were not considered in the charges. Below is a list of some of those informants. This list is not complete, there are others who also provided testimony not listed here (such as those listed in the above "Investigation" section.) Informants in BMF-related cases in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and other jurisdictions are also listed here as they are considered part of the overall conspiracy.

William Marshall

William 'Doc' Marshall

The government's "star" witness during trials in Orlando, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Former Chief Financial Officer of BMF, Marshall was the person who acquired vehicles, houses, and other property for the entire organization. He also admitted to personally distributing more than 1700 kilos while a member of BMF. Because of his testimony's importance to the case, he was able to avoid drug charges and plead guilty to money laundering, resulting in a sentence just over 8.5 years.

Daniel Corral

Daniel Corral

Arrested as part of a related BMF case out of Los Angeles. Corral was once a supplier of 400-500 kilogram cocaine loads to Demetrius Flenory. He also testified against other suppliers he had and is now testifying against other defendants in Los Angeles, including his wife and former supplier, Yvonne Vasquez. He named other defendants as suppliers "Chi Chi" and "Wilbur", however their first names and last names are unknown.

Ralph Simms

Testified in the trials in Atlanta and Los Angeles. He testified that he unloaded vehicles with cocaine in them that arrived in Atlanta, then subsequently loaded them with cash once the drugs were sold for the cash to be delivered back to Los Angeles.

Harold Wilcox

Harold Wilcox

Provided information against Terry "Southwest T" Flenory. He pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking and money laundering charges.

Benjamin Johnson

Friend of the Flenory brother's during their high school years. He claims that he used to pick up kilograms of cocaine from a hole above the linen closet in the Flenory household. He has been charged with cocaine distribution and has not yet had an outcome in his case. He was of the first informants to come forward. He ran the Detroit operations on behalf of Terry Flenory.

Charles Parson

Charles Parson

Also provided information against "Southwest T". Pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking and money laundering charges, faces up to 87 months in federal prison.

Eric Bivens

Eric Bivens

Provided information against "Southwest T". Pleaded guilty no outcome in case yet.

Marc Whaley

Allegedly helped BMF members obtain high-end luxury automobiles in Orlando, FL. Sentenced to 2½ years for money laundering. Whaley claims his life was threatened after giving testimony to the federal government.

Arnold Boyd

Cooperating against "Southwest T". Pleaded guilty to cocaine and money laundering charges and faces up to 17 years in federal prison.

Damon Thomas

Grammy-nominated music producer and cooperating witness against "Southwest T". Damon Thomas was reality star Kim Kardashian's first husband.

2005 Raids and Arrests

In October 2005, it was reported that some 30 members of BMF were arrested in a massive drug raid orchestrated by the DEA. During these raids, the DEA seized $3 million in cash and assets, 2.5 kilograms of cocaine, and numerous weapons. Prior to the October 2005 raids, throughout the course of the investigation, the DEA had arrested 17 BMF members, seized 632 kilograms of cocaine, $5.3 million in cash, and $5.7 million in assets. They claimed BMF was responsible for moving over 2,500 kilograms of cocaine a month throughout the United States.

Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory, as well as his brother Terry "Southwest T" Flenory, were charged with Continuing Criminal Enterprise, conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine. Demetrius was captured in a large home in a suburb outside Dallas. Inside, police found a small amount of marijuana and a few MDMA, or ecstasy, pills. In a safe inside the house were several weapons; a Springfield .40 pistol, FN Herstal 5.7x28 pistol, and a Para Ordinance .45 pistol. Outside and in the garage were a 2005 Bentley Continental GT, a 2004 Ford F-150 truck, and a 2004 Dodge Magnum station wagon.

His brother, Terry "Southwest T" Flenory, was captured in St. Louis with small amounts of marijuana and a with a few weapons found throughout the house, which was also occupied by multiple people at the time of the arrest.

2006 Indictments

On June 15, 2006, the U.S. Department of Treasury reported that 16 additional individuals had been charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and money laundering charges under a second, superseding indictment, bringing the number of people charged in the case to 49. Included in this list was Jacob Arabov, popularly known as Jacob the Jeweler, a well-known celebrity jeweler in the hip-hop community. Mr. Arabov and the others named in the indictment are being charged with conspiracy to launder more than $270 million in illegally obtained funds. A November 2006 article in Vanity Fair details Mr. Arabov's entanglements with the group and also reiterates public information that has surfaced regarding the case against BMF. The Department of Justice also shed light on more of the group's alleged activities in the indictment papers, which included running drug money through various banks, and money wiring services in an attempt to disguise its origin. The group has also been accused of obtaining several winning Michigan state lottery tickets from a third party, which they paid cash for, and then cashing in the tickets in an attempt to make the money appear legitimate. This indictment also seeks the forfeiture of "more than 30 pieces of jewelry, 13 residences, 35 vehicles including Lincoln Limousine, BMW's, Range Rovers, Aston-Martin, and Bentleys, numerous bank accounts, over $1.2 million in seized currency, and a money judgment totaling $270 million."

2007 Indictments

On July 25, 2007, David Nahmias, the U.S. Attorney for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia unveiled an indictment of 16 more members of the Black Mafia Family. "The government is one step closer to eradicating one of today's most violent and notorious drug trafficking organizations", said Special Agent in Charge Rodney G. Benson of the Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta office. The indictment charged all defendants with participating in the nationwide cocaine distribution conspiracy, which carries a penalty of between 10 years and life in prison, and up to a $4 million fine. Black Mafia Family once had billboards towering over Atlanta boldly proclaiming that the world was theirs", Mr. Nahmias said. "This indictment is a rejection of that claim. First in Detroit and Orlando, and now here, the government is shutting down the BMF's once-flourishing drug empire."

Atlanta BMF Indictments

On July 26, 2007 the government unsealed indictments charging 16 BMF members in Atlanta with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Those arrested were: Dionne Beverly, 35, of Hurricane, West Virginia; Ramon Dobson, 27, of Lithonia; Lamar Fields, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia; Victor Hammonds, 42, of Conyers, Georgia; Jamal Mitchell, 38, of East Orange, New Jersey; Franklin Nash, 56, of Decatur, Georgia; and Darryl Taylor, 46, of Stockbridge, Georgia. Already in custody in other jurisdictions were co-defendants Fleming Daniels, 34, of Roswell, Georgia, and Derek Pitts, 33, of Newark, New Jersey.

All 16 defendants were charged with participating in the overall cocaine distribution conspiracy. The conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison as well as a $4,000,000 fine. Eventually, all defendants plead guilty before trial except Fleming Daniels, who chose to take his case to a jury.

Fleming "Ill" Daniels

Fleming Daniels

Fleming "Ill" Daniels, a top member of the Black Mafia Family drug ring, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking on December 17, 2008. The federal judge also fined Daniels $10,000 for taking part in the violent group. Daniels was the 16th defendant indicted in Atlanta on charges stemming from their role in the organization. Daniels is the only defendant in the Atlanta indictments to go to trial, and 11 have already pleaded guilty. The government's case relied on testimony from William "Doc" Marshall and Ralph Simms to convict Daniels. Daniels had not been caught with cocaine nor caught on wiretaps discussing drug business. However, due to the testimony from Marshall indicating that he had seen Daniels receive multi-kilograms of cocaine while he himself was picking up cocaine, the jury returned a guilty verdict.

Daniels also awaits trial for the July 2004 murder of Rashannibal Drummond Drummond, 23, who was fatally shot in the Velvet Room's parking lot after he slapped a luxury car to alert the driver not to back into him. In February 26, 2010 he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years for voluntary manslaughter. His 20-year sentence will run concurrent to another 20-year sentence stemming for his role on BMF cocaine charges.

File:Barimamcknight.jpg

Barima "Bleu DaVinci" McKnight

Barima "Bleu DaVinci" McKnight

Rapper and sole artist of BMF Entertainment, Barima "Bleu DaVinci" McKnight, was sentenced October 30, 2008 to 5 years, 4 months in federal prison. It was said that McKnight was used because he had very small hands and could get that last kilogram or two of cocaine out of a stash spot where others could not. McKnight said at sentencing that when he first met Demetrius "Meech" Flenory that Meech did not show him "the other side of his world", in reference to the cocaine business. He said Meech presented himself as being involved with music and it was not until much later that Meech let him into the cocaine side of the business. He was released in 2011 and returned to his music career, creating "Swish Gang" record label. In 2012 DaVinci ignited his beef with Young Jeezy calling him Gay and fake.

2009 Arrest

The last remaining suspect, Vernon Marcus Coleman a rapper who goes by the name WU, was arrested on July 17, 2009 in Atlanta. He was indicted in 2007 for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. To date all 150 indicted members of BMF have been arrested. However, the total number of BMF members exceeds well over 150; the federal government believes the 150 they have indicted and arrested account for the command and control structure as well as other key figures in the organization (distributors, stash house operators, transporters, etc.).

References

Rick Ross says he feels like "Big Meech" in his song "BMF".

See also

• African-American Organized Crime
• Continuing Criminal Enterprise
• Philadelphia Black Mafia
• Young Jeezy
• Gucci Mane