Elkridge Man Pleads Guilty in Racketeering, Gun Trafficking Case

An Elkridge man pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, gun trafficking and firing a weapon to commit a violent crime, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland said Friday.

Giovanni Wright, 22, was a member of the Bloods gang since at least 2010, according to his plea agreement, in which he admitted to participating in racketeering conspiracy as a member of the Howard County Bloods “Swann” set and “Cut Throat Committee,” or local subsets of the gang. Wright reportedly held at least one gang meeting at his residence, in the 6900 block of Ducketts Lane.

According to court documents, Wright pleaded guilty to distributing guns to other gang members, including those who were not allowed to possess them. Law enforcement learned via four court-ordered wiretaps that Wright was providing guns to other Bloods members, according to his plea agreement.

Police found one gun that belonged to Wright at a fellow gang member’s residence, loaded with six rounds, when authorities served a search warrant there.

Police reportedly found two handguns loaded with multiple rounds, as well as 58 additional rounds of ammunition, at Wright’s home in Elkridge during a search on May 8, 2013.

At Wright’s home, police also found three red bandanas and images on Wright’s phone depicting him wearing the bandanas, “throwing gang signs, and displaying large quantities of marijuana and liquid codeine, as well as two other yet-unrecovered firearms,” the report said.

In addition, Wright admitted that he was the gunman in a drive-by that occurred on Jan.14, 2013, according to court documents. Just after midnight on that date, a Howard County man was targeted at his home after one member of the Bloods accused him of falsely “representing” the gang when the two were students at Howard High School, according to court documents.

The victim reported the shooting immediately to police, and forensic examination identified Wright as the owner of the firearm which discharged bullets in the drive-by, an incident that damaged a vehicle belonging to innocent bystanders, the plea agreement states.

The investigation into Wright was part of a racketeering case involving 18 individuals in Howard County with alleged ties to gangs, conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Howard County Police Department.

If the court accepts the plea agreement from Wright, he will be sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2015.

Related: Alleged Howard County Bloods Members Arrested, Indicted