FOX 2 (WJBK) - Three high-ranking leaders of the Almighty Vice Lords Nation were convicted of charges in Detroit, the US Attorney's Office announced Saturday.
The six-week federal trial led to the convictions of the Detroit men Kevin Fordham and Eddie Reid as well as Martin Murff of Chicago for charges including of violence, drug dealing, and other crimes, across the country as part of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act.
The Almighty Vice Lords Nation enterprise began in Chicago, which is still considered its headquarters. The AVLN are divided into different branches, each with its own leadership that answers to a "board" in Chicago. The trial involved leaders of two branches, the Mafia Insane Vice Lords, and the Insane Vice Lords.
Fordham, 53, held the rank of "Prince," and was the highest-ranked Insane Vice Lord in Michigan and a member of the national leadership of the AVLN.
Reid, 39, held the rank of "Chief" and the highest-ranked Mafia Insane Vice Lord in Michigan.
Murff, 54, had the title of "Prince" and was the highest-ranked Mafia Insane Vice Lords in the country and a member of the national leadership of the AVLN.
According to the US Attorney's Office, evidence at trial proved the Almighty Vice Lords Nation was a sprawling criminal enterprise.
Trial evidence proved leaders worked together under the umbrella of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation and agreed that they or their enterprise members would commit acts of racketeering, including murder, narcotics trafficking, and witness intimidation.
In one seizure alone, law enforcement intercepted over 2.5 kilograms of pure fentanyl earmarked for Detroit.
"The Almighty Vice Lords Nation is a criminal enterprise that followed its own laws rather than the laws of the United States," said United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison said. "Through the hard work of this investigation and trial, we have said no more; we will not tolerate the violence and criminality the Vice Lords stand for and perpetuate.
"With this verdict, we have dismantled the leadership of multiple branches of this criminal organization and disrupted their ability to operate in our neighborhoods."
The jury acquitted Kenneth Johnson, who will be returned to the Michigan Department of Corrections to serve a lengthy sentence for an unrelated conviction.
More than 20 other members of the AVLN were indicted as a result of this investigation and await trial in federal court.
"The Almighty Vice Lord Nation is a shell of what it was," said James Deir, ATF Special Agent in Charge. "Today’s verdict against Martin Murff, Eddie Reid, and Kevin Fordham sends a strong message to gangs across the Detroit - Chicago metropolitan areas … .cease and desist with poisoning and terrorizing our communities with senseless gun violence and drug trafficking.
"If you do not, serious consequences will come. These defendants posed as legitimate community members while overseeing an interstate criminal enterprise that killed and maimed people in both Michigan and Illinois. Their flagrant assault on our way of life ends today with this just verdict."