Roanoke, VIRGINIA - A pair of gang members, who were convicted earlier this year of federal racketeering [RICO] charges in relation to a string of violent robberies and the abduction and murder of an off-duty, reserve police captain, were sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced.
Anthony Darnell Stokes, 34, of Manassas, was sentenced today to 160 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $500 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $12,369. Halisi Uhuru was sentenced today to 144 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $500 and ordered to pay $12,369 in restitution. Both defendants were previously convicted of federal RICO and obstruction of justice charges.
“These individuals, along with other members of the 99 Goon Syndikate, terrorized parts of Central Virginia for the better part of a year. They committed armed robberies, assault and ultimately took the life of Officer Kevin Quick," United States Attorney Fishwick said today. “While I know today’s sentences do not bring back Office Quick to his family, I hope his loved ones know all of the men and women who worked on this case devoted many hours of hard work to bring his killers to justice."
Others convicted and sentenced as part of the conspiracy include: Daniel Lamont Mathis, 20, of Charlottesville, Va., Shantai Monique Shelton, 26, of Charlottesville, Va., Mersadies Lachelle Shelton, 22, of Charlottesville, Va., and Kweli Uhuru, 25, of Winchester, Va., were each found guilty of multiple federal racketeering counts following a month-long jury trial in February. In September, all four defendants were sentenced to multiple life-terms in federal prison.
At trial, the evidence established that Halisi Uhuru, Anthony Stokes and Kweli Uhuru formed the 99 Goon Syndikate, a set of the Bloods criminal street gang, while in prison. All three were released from prison in 2013. Kweli Uhuru recruited his brothers and the Shelton/Mathis siblings to join the gang in the summer of 2013 by persuading them of the easy money and respect earned as a gang member. By October 2013, this violent criminal street gang began committing criminal acts throughout Central Virginia.
Over the ensuing months, the gang members robbed convenience stores, burglarized or robbed homeowners, sold narcotics and ultimately abducted and murdered Captain Kevin Quick of the Waynesboro Police Department Reserves. Tragically, Captain Quick was in the wrong place at the wrong time on the evening hours of Jan. 31, 2014. Quick was on his way to visit his sick child at the same time the gang wanted to commit a carjacking. When he arrived in the parking lot and exited his vehicle, the gang members abducted the unarmed Captain Quick at gunpoint and drove him to Fluvanna, where they forced him to disclose his ATM PIN code at gunpoint. After obtaining his code, the gang members took him into the woods and shot and killed him.
Two days later, gang members Daniel Mathis and Mersadies Shelton attempted to rob a Louisa homeowner who fought back after Mathis threatened a toddler and pistol whipped a female at the residence. During the melee, Mathis lost the magazine to his.40 caliber pistol and shot one of the residents while he escaped. The gang members then reached out to their leadership in Northern Virginia in an effort to escape to Montana. Halisi Uhuru sent Anthony Stokes from Manassas to Louisa in the middle of the night to bring the fellow gang members away from the scene of their crimes.
While in Northern Virginia, the leadership provided the gang members with food, shelter and helped them destroy evidence associated with the murder of Captain Quick, including the murder weapon. Law enforcement caught up with them the night they planned to escape to Montana on February 4, 2014. Two days later, Captain Quick’s body was found off a remote logging road in Goochland County, Virginia.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Virginia State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, the Albemarle County Police Department, the Charlottesville City Police Department, the Waynesboro Police Department, the Henrico County Police Department, the Gordonsville Police Department, the Goochland County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Fluvanna County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Prince William County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Ronald M. Huber, Christopher Kavanaugh and Louisa County Commonwealth’s Attorney and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rusty E. McGuire prosecuted the case for the United States. Victim and Witness specialists with the United States Attorney’s Office, assisted by Victim and Witness specialists from the FBI, Albemarle County and Louisa County, provided substantial assistance in support of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
