Memphis, TN – Six Leaders of the Conservative Vice Lords/Concrete Cartel Street Gang, a nation-wide street gang with its origin and home base in Chicago, Illinois, were recently sentenced for federal Racketeering (RICO), Business and Pharmacy Robberies, Firearms and Drug Trafficking charges. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney, announced the sentences today.

At trial, the evidence proved the Concrete Cartel and its members operate mainly in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee and North Mississippi and that its leadership consists of a regional/southern leader, a statewide leader, a citywide leader and community/division leaders (Whitehaven, Orange Mound, East Memphis, South Memphis and North Memphis).

Within the organization, there are different areas of responsibilities or roles: Ministers of Command, Chief Violators, Chiefs of Security, Chief Enforcers, Ministers of Literature, Lieutenants and Foot Soldiers. Members rise to these positions through acts of violence, including but not limited to shootings, robberies, and drug trafficking. The Concrete Cartel encourages the robbery of businesses, mainly pharmacies, to take opioids and other Schedule II controlled substances to enrich themselves and the membership through drug trafficking.

The evidence further proved that Davante Turner, 26, a/k/a/"Star," William Pinkney, 22, a/k/a/ "Wild," Markease Alexander, 26, a/k/a/ "Citi," Nernest Nesby, 25, a/k/a/ "Neno," Tondwin Lewis, 26, a/k/a/ "T-Luey," and Ariq Rayford, 22, a/k/a/ "Curry," committed multiple acts of business robberies while using firearms. In the case of pharmacy robberies, they then distributed or sold the opioids or controlled substances on the streets of Memphis and elsewhere.

Along with the RICO charge against them, the defendants were also sentenced for their participation in the following armed business robberies, using firearms:

• July 18, 2015, Davante Levert Turner and others robbed the CVS Pharmacy at 786 N. Germantown Parkway, Memphis, Tennessee. During this robbery, Turner and others took the following drugs from the business: Oxycodone, Fentanyl, and Methylphenidate.

• February 15, 2016, Ariq Rayford and others robbed the Walgreens Pharmacy at 4653 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, Tennessee. Rayford attempted to take Roxicodone drugs from the business.

• April 30, 2016, Nernest Nesby and others robbed the Mojo Vapors at 6522 Quince, Memphis, Tennessee, taking money and merchandise from the business.

• April 30, 2016, Nernest Nesby and others robbed the Exxon Mobil Gas Station at 6021 Mt. Moriah, Memphis, Tennessee, taking money from the business.

• April 30, 2016, Nernest Nesby and others robbed the CVS Pharmacy at 6620 Winchester Road, Memphis, Tennessee, taking money from the business.

• May 1, 2016, Nernest Nesby and others attempted to rob the Circle K at 7195 Winchester Road, Memphis, Tennessee.

• May 1, 2016, Nernest Nesby and others robbed the Exxon at 6455 E. Shelby Drive, Memphis, Tennessee, taking money from the business.

• July 22, 2016, Markease Alexander and others robbed the CVS Pharmacy at 786 N. Germantown Parkway Road, Memphis, Tennessee. During the robbery, Alexander and others took the following drugs from the business: Oxycodone, Oxymorphine, and Oxymorphone. Lashawn Shannon distributed the drugs for Alexander and others.

• November 1, 2016, Markease Alexander and others robbed the CVS Pharmacy at 2115 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee. Alexander and others took the following drugs from the business: Oxycodone and Acetaminophen, Dextroamphetamine, Oxycodone, Methylphenidate, Lisdexamfetamine, and Oxycodone Hydrochloride.

• July 5, 2017, Davante Levert Turner, Tondwin Lewis, and William Pinkney robbed the CVS Pharmacy at 6620 Winchester Road, Memphis, Tennessee. Turner, Lewis and Pinkney attempted to take Roxicodone drugs from the business.

Each defendant was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker, as follows:

• Ariq Rayford was sentenced on October 18, 2019, to 140 months of imprisonment followed by 5 years supervised release;

• William Pinkney was sentenced on September 4, 2019, to 160 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years supervised release;

• Tondwin Lewis was sentenced on September 27, 2019, to 220 months imprisonment followed by 3 years supervised release;

• DaVante Turner was sentenced on October 22, 2019, to 240 months imprisonment followed by 5 years supervised release;

• Markease Alexander was sentenced on October 23, 2019, to 264 months imprisonment followed by 3 years supervised release;

• Nernest Nesby, was sentenced on September 26, 2019, to 481 months imprisonment followed by 3 years supervised release.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Dismantlement of criminal gangs is a top priority of this office and the Department of Justice, and this case represents the collaborative efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement to target several significant violent leaders and participants in the Conservative Vice Lords organization. As a result of these sentences, the Concrete Cartel has been decimated, and violent gang members will be rightly punished and removed from the streets for decades. We are taking the fight to the gangs in West Tennessee, and we are relentless in our resolve."

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and theMulti-Agency Gang Unit (MGU) of the Memphis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Whitmore and Raney Irwin prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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Memphis, TN – After a three-week trial involving a total of 74 witnesses and more than 120 exhibits, a federal jury found five members of the Conservative Vice Lords Concrete Cartel criminal gang guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activities, multiple armed pharmacy robberies, and drug trafficking conspiracy. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the guilty verdict today.

On May 31, 2018, a federal grand jury returned a 34-count indictment against 12 members of the Concrete Cartel, a subset of the Conservative Vice Lords criminal gang whose headquarters is located in Chicago. The Concrete Cartel and its members operate mainly in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee and North Mississippi. The indictment charged a RICO conspiracy, 10 separate Hobbs Act business robberies, and multiple counts of brandishing and discharging firearms during the commission of those crimes of violence. The indictment also charged conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute multiple controlled substances that were obtained as proceeds in the robberies. According to information presented in court, the members of the Concrete Cartel targeted and committed armed robberies of multiple CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, obtaining thousands of opioids for redistribution to members of their organization as well as the public to enrich themselves and the gang enterprise.

Seven of the twelve members previously pled guilty to the RICO conspiracy and other crimes charged. The five members who went to trial and were found guilty were high-ranking leaders in the organization, and included:

• Nernest Andre Nesby a/k/a/ "Neno," 25

• Markease Tyshawn Alexander a/k/a/ "Citi," 26

• Davante Levert Turner a/k/a/ "Star," 26

• Tondwin Tierre Lewis a/k/a "T-Luey," 26

• Ariq Rayford a/k/a/ "Curry," 22

One of the defendants was a Tennessee statewide leader and another was a citywide leader in the Conservative Vice Lords Concrete Cartel gang. The remaining defendants were branch leaders in the organization, claiming areas in East Memphis, Orange Mound and Whitehaven. This federal prosecution and guilty verdict is the result of an extensive investigation which began in 2015 by federal, state and local law enforcement officials into the criminal gang enterprise, and entailed the recovery or seizures of thousands of opioids and other controlled substances before the defendants distributed the drugs on the streets.

The defendants were found guilty on a total of 29 of the 34 charged counts. All of the defendants were found guilty of the RICO conspiracy and other charges in the indictment.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Dismantlement of criminal gangs is a top priority of this office and the Department of Justice, and this case represents the collaborative efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement to target and remove several significant violent leaders and participants in the Conservative Vice Lords organization. We are taking the fight to the gangs in West Tennessee, we are successfully punishing gang members for their criminal activity, and we are relentless in our resolve."

Sentencing will be set on a later date before U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker. Each of the defendants faces possible sentences of up to 20 years for each of the RICO conspiracy, Hobbs Act business robbery, and drug conspiracy counts, as well as consecutive mandatory minimum sentences of 7 years for brandishing a firearm and 10 years for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Multi-Agency Gang Unit (MGU) of the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Whitmore and Raney Irwin are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

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