Authorities indicted 30 suspects linked to the alleged Sex Money Murder gang on violent and financial crime charges in Georgia.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Thirty people believed to be members or associates of the gangSex Money Murder (SMM) have been indicted in the Southern District of Georgia on multiple violent and financial crime charges, including racketeering conspiracy and murder.
As part of a four-year investigation, arrests were made on May 14 in metro Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Hinesville, and in several other states, including New York, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, and New Jersey. A total of 30 individuals were arrested. Authorities initially said that two suspects remained at large, but those two are now in custody.
The federal indictment, unsealed this week, outlines allegations that the group operated a violent criminal enterprise connected to the Bloods gang. Court documents detail claims that members used extreme violence to enforce internal rules, allegedly killing one individual who wanted to leave the gang and attempting to kill another in jail following accusations of homosexual activity.
In one instance described in the indictment, a young gang member was killed after stepping off his school bus. He was allegedly lured by someone he trusted with a text about a gang meeting. According to court filings, the victim wanted to leave the gang and had made accusations against a senior member. That same day, he was driven to a remote area and fatally shot.
“We will not rest until every criminal organization like SMM that wreaks havoc on our streets and prison systems and exploits programs meant to support vulnerable populations are dismantled,” said Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
The gang is accused of trafficking meth, heroin, and cocaine throughout the Savannah metro area. Authorities also said SMM members participated in a scheme to defraud federal COVID-19 and unemployment relief programs, resulting in “intended losses of over $850,000.’
According to court documents and statements, SMM is a subset of the national Bloods gang, which started in Los Angeles in the early 1970s and spread to the East Coast. In Georgia, the group reportedly operates both inside and outside correctional facilities. Seven defendants allegedly directed crimes from inside Georgia prisons using contraband cellphones.
The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM members, including inmates within the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including murders, attempted murders, attempted robberies, drug trafficking within and outside of GDOC facilities, and wire and bank fraud. Seven of the defendants allegedly committed or ordered the charged crimes from prison.
“The use of contraband cell phones as a tool to carry out gang activity and other crimes from behind prison walls will not be tolerated,” said GDC Commissioner Tyrone Oliver.
Authorities say this case is part of a larger effort to curb organized gang activity in Georgia.
“Today’s indictment is an important step in ending gang violence on our streets and in our prisons,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons.
If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison or death for the murder in aid of racketeering and using a firearm in the commission of a murder; up to life in prison for the racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy; up to 30 years for the wire fraud conspiracy; and up to 20 years for the conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.
Several federal and state agencies were involved in the investigation, including the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and the Georgia Department of Corrections. Local law enforcement agencies across Georgia, such as the DeKalb Police Department, also contributed to the effort.
Watch the DOJ’s full press conference in the video below:
