Black Mafia Family

The Black Mafia Family, or BMF, is a drug trafficking organization originally from Detroit, with major hubs in Atlanta and Los Angeles, that recently delved into the world of hip-hop music and entertainment, successfully promoting not only Young Jeezy but also BMF Entertainment's sole artist, Bleu DaVinci.

The Flenory brothers

Founded by Demetrius "Meech" Flenory and his brother Terry "Southwest T", the brothers began their rise in crime by selling $50 bags of crack cocaine on the streets of Detroit during the late 1980s in their high school years and eventually evolved into a nationwide and international partnership. A two-year federal investigation of the organization concluded that its membership is extensive and nationwide. Around 2000 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. Terry, the younger of the two brothers, shared with his sister (in a conversation caught on a wiretap) he was worried his brother's excessive partying would bring the wrong type of attention to their business. His suspicions were well-founded, as the DEA was listening in on that very phone call.

In September 2008, both brothers were sentenced to 30 years in prison for running a large scale nationwide cocaine trafficking ring across the nation from 1990 through 2005. With credit for three years time served, "Big Meech", now 38, will be released on December 16, 2031, or around his 61st birthday. [ [http://www.ballerstatus.com/article/news/2008/09/5454/ BMF Founders Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison] "BallerStatus.com"] [ [http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp Inmate Locator] ]

Hip-hop presence

BMF appeared in numerous underground hip-hop DVD magazines, most notably several issues of [http://www.smackdvdmagazine.com/about_us.htm "S.M.A.C.K." DVD Magazine] and "The Come Up" DVD. Their most highly visible appearance was in a full length DVD, produced by [http://www.rawreport.com/thevolumes/volume2.htm#bmf "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.They received wide acclaim from radio and mixtapes DJ's for the song "Streets on Lock" [http://www.discogs.com/release/1071221] , headed by BMF affiliate Bleu Davinci featuring Fabolous and Young Jeezy. A music video [http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=RYmrFIQTdMw] was later produced for the hit single, however never released to networks.

Lifestyle

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" would sometimes buy every BMF member at a club his own bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal champagne or Perrier Jouet Rose, which meant purchasing Cristal by the caseload often times. The Black Mafia Family was known for throwing upwards of $20,000 in $1 bills in the air and at strippers when at the club. They frequented many upscale Buckhead area clubs outside Atlanta; to name a few: 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.) 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 would be 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 all parked together and all owned by a BMF member.

In addition, when out at the clubs Big Meech would throw 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.

Both homes searched and allegedly lived in by "Big Meech" were both ultra-modern homes in very nice area's. His brother Terry lived in a multi-million dollar home off Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles.

Investigation

The investigation into Demetrius Flenory and "BMF" began sometime in the early 1990's before there was any name to the organization which Demetrius and Terry headed. The lead-up to events of the October 2005 indictments began with a series of large drug seizures and subsequent informant information from BMF members. On April 11, 2004, BMF courier and high-level distributor Jabari Hayes was pulled over in Phelps County, Missouri along I-40 driving a 40-foot motor home; supposedly for swerving over the fog line. After a K-9 unit alerted to drugs in the vehicle, in the back bedroom of the motor home were two suitcases containing approximately 95 kilograms of cocaine and 572 grams of marijuana. 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; that time the DEA pulled him over and discovered $600,000 in cash. [http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/]

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, that were BMF members and able to supply multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine regularly. Omari McCree was a high-level distributor for the organization and was favored by Big Meech, wiretaps revealed. On November 5, 2004, Omari's "brother", Jeffrey Leahr, would be pulled over due to the wiretaps on I-75 in Atlanta with his girlfriend in a Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUV. 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, being in a large debt now 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 that he did not actually pick it up from Big Meech himself. According to Omari, Chad "J-Bo" Brown would supply him with the cocaine on behalf of Big Meech. These events and a number of others would form the backbone of the government's case against the two brothers.

Drug and Cash Seizures

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. [http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/]

*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), working undercover, received approximately $300,000 in cash intended for payment for cocaine from the organization.

*On or about October 16, 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 Bruce Martin, 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 Gregory Ray West.

*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 wholesaler's out of business. The fact so many large seizures occurred and the organization was still thriving is a testament to their wealth and power.

Informants

Bringing "Big Meech" and his brother "Southwest T" to trial and ultimately a conviction was based mostly upon informant testimony from former BMF members. 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.)

Harold Wilcox

Provided information against Terry "Southwest T" Flenory. Pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking and money laundering charges, faces up to 135 months in federal prison.

Benjamin Johnson

Friend of the Flenory brother's during their high school years. Claims 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. One of the first informants to come forward.

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

Provided information against "Southwest T". Pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking and money laundering charges, no outcome in case yet.

Marc Whaley

Allegedly helped BMF members obtain high-end luxury automobiles in Orlando, FL. Sentenced to 30 months for money laundering. Whaley claims his life was threatened after giving testimony to the federal government.

William 'Doc' Marshall

Former Chief Financial Officer of BMF who is cooperating in at least 4 separate investigations. Supposedly a witness to a high-profile homicide related to BMF outside the Velvet Room nightclub in Atlanta. According to another informant, Ralph Simms, Marshall was present once while rapper Young Jeezy was receiving kilograms of cocaine from a BMF stash house. Sentenced to 100 months for money laundering and fraud.

Arnold Boyd

Cooperating against "Southwest T". Pleaded guilty to cocaine and money laundering charges and faces up to 121 months in federal prison.

Damon Thomas

Grammy-nominated music producer and cooperating witness against "Southwest T".

2005 raid 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. [http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr102805.html] 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 would claim 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, was charged with continuing criminal enterprise (similar to RICO statute except used in drug cases) 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, TX. 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 Erstal 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, would be captured in St. Louis with small amounts of marijuana and a few weapons being 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 under 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. Arapeeno 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. [http://www.vanityfair.com/fame/features/2006/11/jacob200611?currentPage=1] 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." [http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/detroit061506.html]

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. [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan/press/2007/07-25-07.pdf] "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 DEA 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."

References

ee also

*Black Mafia
*African-American organized crime