Guilty verdict against three Bloods gang members in federal RICO-related trial

Three Minneapolis Bloods gang members were found guilty Tuesday by a federal jury of racketeering (RICO) and gun crimes in connection with a yearslong pattern of gang violence, including two murders, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger announced.

After a weeks-long trial before U.S. District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson, Desean James Solomon, aka Black, 34, Michael Allen Burrell, aka Skitz, 44, and Leontawan Lentez Holt, aka Leon, aka Shotta, aka Shot Dog, 26, were found guilty of all charges. Solomon was convicted on one count of RICO conspiracy and two counts of using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of murder. Burrell and Holt were each convicted of one count of using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of murder.

The charges against the three were part of a federal crackdown on violent crime in Minneapolis, which spiraled out of control after Gov. Tim Walz’s pandemic lockdowns and the George Floyd riots.

The US Attorney’s press release summarized the history and structure of the Bloods gang, which was presented at the trial:

“Since at least 2020, Solomon, Burrell and Holt have been members and associates of the Minneapolis Bloods street gang. Historically, the gang’s territory has been on the south side of Minneapolis, near Chicago Avenue South and 38th Street East. The hierarchy of the Bloods includes a head or leader of the gang, senior leaders, street-level leaders, and other members or associates. New recruits (called ‘YGs’ or young gangsters) must fight, shoot or earn money to gain respect and increase their position in the gang. The next level is ‘OG’ (original gangsters), highly respected members of the gang, and the highest level is ‘double OG’. All OGs are equal in rank and can give ‘shots’ or orders. ‘Enforcers’ carry out the OG’s ‘shots’ or orders by hitting or assaulting the perpetrator. If a Bloods member is disrespected, other members are expected to retaliate. When shootings break out with opposition gangs, Bloods members in the area are expected to come to each other’s aid by firing their own weapons at opposition gang members.”

Evidence presented at trial details two murders facilitated by Bloods gang members, one in north Minneapolis in 2020 and one in Uptown in 2022:

On June 14, 2020, Solomon, Burrell and other Bloods members went to the 200 Club, a nightclub in north Minneapolis, where they attacked a rival gang member in the men’s room. After the attack, a shooting broke out outside the club. Solomon and Burrell both fired their weapons multiple times, resulting in the murder of a rival gang member.

Part of the shooting was captured on video at the time, which showed at least two people firing weapons outside the pub.

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Gang members involved in the June 14, 2020, mass shooting and murder at the Broadway Pub in north Minneapolis, where more than 100 bullets were fired, were found guilty in federal court this week. Story to come. pic.twitter.com/pc2Mj7nG78

— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) October 10, 2024

On April 23, 2022, Solomon, Holt, and other Bloods members went to Williams Pub, a bar in the Uptown neighborhood of south Minneapolis, to celebrate a birthday. In the bar, Holt threw an unprovoked punch at a rival gang member and the rest of the Bloods members joined in. A big bar fight ensued. After several minutes, the Bloods members left the bar for a nearby street, where Holt and a juvenile member of the Bloods shot and killed a rival gang member.

An investigation into the court records after Holt’s arrest revealed that he should have been in jail at the time of Uptown’s murder after another firearms conviction. However, despite Holt’s lifelong history of violent crimes, his five-year sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm was reduced to just 36 months, a downward departure from Hennepin County Judge Tamara Garcia’s sentencing guidelines that allowed him to be released early. the murder.

Michael Burrell is the older brother of Myon Burrell, who was recently convicted on gun and drug charges after having his life sentence for the 2002 murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards commuted by a panel that also included Governor Tim Walz and the attorney general of Minnesota. Keith Ellison.

“The Minneapolis Bloods gang is a violent criminal enterprise,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said after this week’s sentencing. “As the evidence showed, the defendants convicted today were members of that company and committed violence and murder on behalf of the company. As Bloods members, the rules these defendants adhered to superseded all criminal laws and social principles, such as respect for human life or concern for public safety.”

Sentencing hearings will take place at a later date. With this week’s convictions, a total of 17 Bloods members and associates have pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department.

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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, information and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.

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