Feds indict Gangster Disciples in Atlanta, including former cop

Atlanta FBI Gangster Disciple takedown/ FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge J. Britt Johnson and officials from partner agencies announce the indictment of 32 suspected members of the violent Gangster Disciples gang during a press conference in Atlanta on May 4, 2016. A similar press conference was held in Memphis announcing the indictments of 16 additional suspects. (Photo Credit: FBI.GOV)
Atlanta FBI Gangster Disciple takedown/ FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge J. Britt Johnson and officials from partner agencies announce the indictment of 32 suspected members of the violent Gangster Disciples gang during a press conference in Atlanta on May 4, 2016. A similar press conference was held in Memphis announcing the indictments of 16 additional suspects. (Photo Credit: FBI.GOV)

A three year federal investigation has led to a massive takedown of top tier leadership of the Gangster Disciples. Shockingly, among the arrested include a former Dekalb County, Georgia police officer who stated he was a hit man for the gang. The announcement was made yesterday at a press conference by U.S. Attorney John Horn of the Northern District of Georgia. Horn gave an overview of charges that included 10 murders, 12 attempted murders, extortion of rap artists, drug trafficking and other crimes.

The Gangster Disciples were formed on the streets of Chicago during the 1970s when rival gangs Black Disciples and Supreme Gangsters joined forces. Thirty years later, the gang grew nationally and controlled criminal operations in various states. Horn described a sophisticated and highly structured operation that was run by a national board. The seven person national board was headed by a national chairman and included a national treasurer, who oversaw the collection of dues. Orders were then given to the regional board, who gave orders to members known as governors. Among those arrested recently was the Governor of the Southern States. According to the federal indictment, the operation was brutal and included senseless acts of public violence to reinforce the power and prestige of the gang. Horn described the shooting of a 17-year-old, who walked in front of a music video shoot and was shot for wearing the wrong color t-shirt; as well as a bar shooting in Macon, Georgia that left three people dead.


Perhaps the most shocking piece of information was the indictment of former Dekalb County Police Officer Vancito Gumbs, who was a member of the gang while on the police force. According to Horn, Gumbs allegedly admitted he was a hit man for the gang and informed them of raids and police activity. The indictment states that another defendant identified as Kevin Clayton boasted that the gang had infiltrated metro Atlanta police departments and parole offices. The investigation into the activities of the gang was multi jurisdictional and included law enforcement of every metro Atlanta agency, GBI, FBI, IRS and state agencies in Tennessee and Alabama.

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