Three Minneapolis Bloods gang members were found guilty by a federal jury on Tuesday of racketeering (RICO) and firearms offenses in connection with a years-long pattern of gang violence, including two murders, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
Following a weeks-long trial before Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court, Desean James Solomon, aka Black, 34, Michael Allen Burrell, aka Skitz, 44, and Leontawan Lentez Holt, aka Leon, aka Shotta, aka Shot Dog, 26, were found guilty on all charges. Solomon was convicted on one count of RICO conspiracy and two counts of using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of murder. Burrell and Holt were each convicted of one count of using and carrying a firearm in furtherance of murder.
The charges against the three were part of a federal crackdown on Minneapolis violent crime that spiraled out of control following Gov. Tim Walz’s pandemic lockdowns and the George Floyd riots.
The U.S. Attorney’s press release recapped the history and structure of the Bloods gang, which was presented at trial:
“Since at least 2020, Solomon, Burrell, and Holt, have been members and associates of the Minneapolis Bloods street gang. Historically, the gang’s territory is located on the south side of Minneapolis, near Chicago Avenue South and 38th Street East. The hierarchy of the Bloods includes a head or leader of the gang, senior leaders, street-level leaders, and other members or associates. New recruits (called ‘YGs’ or young gangsters) must fight, shoot, or make money to gain respect and increase their position in the gang. The next level is ‘OG’ (original gangsters), who are well-respected members of the gang, and the highest level is ‘double OG.’ All OGs are equal in rank and can direct ‘shots’ or orders. ‘Enforcers’ carry out the OG’s ‘shots’ or orders by beating or assaulting the offender. If a Bloods member is disrespected, other members are expected to retaliate. When shootings break out with opposition gangs, Bloods members within proximity are expected to come to each other’s aid by firing their own weapons at opposition gang members.”
Evidence presented at trial detailed two murders facilitated by Bloods gang members, one in north Minneapolis in 2020, and one in Uptown in 2022:
On June 14, 2020, Solomon, Burrell, and other Bloods members went to the 200 Club, a nightclub in north Minneapolis, where they assaulted a rival gang member in the men’s restroom. Following the assault, a shooting broke out outside the club. Solomon and Burrell both fired their weapons multiple times, resulting in the murder of a rival gang member.
Part of the shootout was captured on video at the time, which showed at least two people firing guns outside the pub.
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Gang members involved in this June 14, 2020, mass shooting and murder at the Broadway Pub in north Minneapolis where over 100 rounds were fired were found guilty in federal court this week. Story to come. pic.twitter.com/pc2Mj7nG78— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) October 10, 2024
On April 23, 2022, Solomon, Holt, and other Bloods members went to Williams Pub, a bar in the Uptown neighborhood of south Minneapolis, to celebrate a birthday. Inside the bar, Holt threw an unprovoked punch at a rival gang member and the rest of the Bloods members joined in. A large bar fight ensued. After several minutes, the Bloods members exited the bar onto a nearby street, where Holt and a juvenile member of the Bloods shot at and killed a rival gang member.
A search of court records following Holt’s arrest showed that he should have been in prison at the time of the Uptown murder on another gun conviction. However, despite Holt’s lifelong history of violent crime, his 5-year prison sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm was reduced to just 36 months in a downward departure from sentencing guidelines by Hennepin County Judge Tamara Garcia, leaving him free prior to the murder.
Michael Burrell is the older brother of Myon Burrell, who was recently convicted on gun and drug charges after having his life sentence for the 2002 murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards commuted by a panel that included Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
“The Minneapolis Bloods gang is a violent criminal enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger following this week’s verdict. “As the evidence proved, the defendants convicted today were members of that enterprise, and they carried out violence and murder on its behalf. As Bloods members, the rules these defendants lived by superseded all criminal laws and social tenets, such as respect for human life or concern for public safety.”
Sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a later date. With this week’s convictions, a total of 17 Bloods members and associates have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
