Lawrenceville Man Alleged Gang Member, Indicted In Murder

CARTERSVILLE, GA — Six alleged members of a street gang originating in California have been indicted on federal charges ranging from obstruction to murdering a 17-year-old male in Bartow County, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said Wednesday.

The federal grand jury returned the nine-count indictment on March 21 against Maurice Antonio Kent, Christopher Nwanjoku, Jamel Dupree Hughes, Cedric Sams, Jr., Jennifer Foutz and Michael Kent, all members or associates of the street gang 135 Pirus, the office said.

The gang has been tied to the June 2017 murder of Qualeef Rhodes, the 17-year-old East Point resident whose body was found in the 100 block of Bells Ferry Road in Bartow County. U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said the defendants and their associates "were allegedly involved in a multitude of violent acts, including a murder, and are being prosecuted under our Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative aimed at stopping this very criminal activity."

(For more news like this, sign up for Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news in Lawrenceville — or other neighborhoods. Access Patch on the go with our iPhone app or our brand new app for Android phone users.)

The residents of Bartow County benefit from this partnership, as it brings together local and federal resources to fight crime, said Sheriff Clark Millsap.

"We are thankful to be a part of PSN and our community is safer because of this program," he said, adding the partnership also erases city and county boundaries to allow agencies to work together.

According to the Pak and other details outlined in court, the 135 Pirus gang originated in Compton, California and set up shop in North Georgia. The Georgia organization divided itself into three branches:

Southside/Atlanta group, a Northside/North group and a Northwest Georgia group. Leaders of the gang in Georgia maintain ties with the California gang leadership, and members are governed by a set of rules, codes, laws, and oaths, which, among other things, "call for death of any gang member who cooperates with law enforcement," prosecutors state.

To become a member, a recruit must be sponsored by an existing gang member. A potential new member is physically beaten for 35 seconds by gang members, an initiation referred to by the gang as being "put on the hood."

All 135 Pirus members are required to engage in criminal acts such as drug dealing and violence, when they are ordered to do so by gang leadership. These members are accused of committing murder, engaging in drug trafficking and other money-making schemes, to be promoted and maintain standing within the gang's organization.

On May 13, 2017, an argument occurred outside a Brookhaven nightclub when a high-ranking gang member was "disrespected," federal prosecutors note. Maurice Antonio Kent allegedly fired multiple rounds into a crowd of people outside the club, wounding a gang member from another group and a security guard. Kent was arrested by Brookhaven police at the scene. Following that shooting, 135 Pirus members believed 17-year-old Qualeef Rhodes, another alleged gang member, was talking to Brookhaven police about the incident.
On June 3, 2017, Nwanjoku, Hughes, Foutz and Sams conspired to lure Rhodes to Bartow County and kill him. The teen's body was later found lying alongside the roadway near the city of White, the sheriff's office previously told Patch.

Days later on June 7, Hughes and Foutz encountered a member of another gang at a gas station in Acworth. Words were exchanged between the parties, and Hughes shot the member of the other gang several times. Undercover police officers were at the gas station working an unrelated case and observed the shooting. During a short police pursuit, Hughes allegedly tossed the gun out of the car window. The gun was recovered, and Hughes and Foutz were stopped and arrested.
The specific charges the defendants face stemming from the 135 Pirus gang-related crimes, including the May and June 2017 murders and shootings, are:

• Maurice Antonio Kent, a.k.a. "Savage Duze," 27, of Cartersville: two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon related to the Brookhaven shooting.
• Christopher Nwanjoku, a.k.a. "Problem," 25, of Lawrenceville: murder in aid of racketeering and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death for his role in the Bartow County murder.
• Jamel Dupree Hughes, a.k.a. "Savage," 24, of Atlanta: murder in aid of racketeering, use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death, attempted murder in aid of racketeering and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence related to the Bartow murder and the gas station shooting.
• Cedric Sams, Jr., a.k.a. "Awall," 25, of Cartersville: murder in aid of racketeering and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death for the Bartow murder.
• Jennifer Foutz, a.k.a. "Rose," 25, of Acworth: charged with murder in aid of racketeering, use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence related to the Bartow fatal shooting and the gas station shooting.
• Michael Kent, a.k.a. "Wikked," 27, of Atlanta (Maurice Antonio Kent's twin brother): charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force with the assistance of the Bartow County Sheriff's Office and the Brookhaven and Acworth police departments.

Patch Editor Kristal Dixon contributed to this reporting.

Image via Shutterstock