Rayful Edmond

Last updated

Rayful Edmond III
Born
Rayful Edmond III

(1964-11-26) November 26, 1964 (age 59)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Other namesRay, Mr.Dunbar
Criminal statusUndisclosed federal prison
Conviction(s) (1) Engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, under 21 U.S.C. §§ 848(b), 853 (Count One); (2) Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and more than 50 grams of cocaine base, under 21 U.S.C. § 846 (Count Two); (3) Unlawfully employing a person under 18 years of age, under 21 U.S.C. § 845b (Count Five); (4) Interstate travel in aid of racketeering, under 18 U.S.C. § 1952(a) (Count Eleven); (5) Unlawful use of a communications facility, under 21 U.S.C. § 843(b) (Counts Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, and Eighteen). On September 17, 1990, the District Court imposed sentences of mandatory life without parole on Count One, life without parole on Counts Two and Five, 60 months on Count Eleven, and 48 months on Counts Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, and Eighteen. Edmond's sentences were to run concurrently.
Criminal chargeOriginal 43-count indictment charging various drug crimes, and charged with running a Continuing Criminal Enterprise involving at least 150 kilograms of cocaine and at least 1.5 kilograms of cocaine base
PenaltyLife sentence with no parole
Date apprehended
April 15, 1989

Rayful Edmond III (born November 26, 1964) is an American former drug trafficker in Washington, D.C. in the 1980s. Edmond is largely responsible for having introduced crack cocaine into the Washington, D.C. area during the crack epidemic, resulting in an escalating crime rate in the city which became known as the "murder capital of the United States". [1]

Contents

Criminal career

Edmond was alleged to have moved large amounts of cocaine. In an indictment involving two of Edmond's associates Dwayne (D.C. Scorpio), it was said that they bought between 1,000 and 2,000 kilos per week in 1992 from the Trujillo-Blanco brothers, who were associated with the Medellin cartel, and sold the drugs to Washington area wholesalers. He was known to have spent some $457,619 in an exclusive Georgetown store (Linea Pitti, specializing in Italian men's clothing) owned by Charles Wynn who was later convicted on 34 counts of money laundering. Edmond's estimated revenue was approximately $300 million annually. [2] In one year, Edmond's organization, which employed 150 people, committed 30 murders. [3]

Remarking on Edmond, longtime D.C. mayor Marion Barry wrote in his autobiography:

He was a young, likable guy, good-looking, with a good personality, and a lot of his friends he played basketball with had no idea that he was involved in drug selling. He was basically pulled into it from his family, That doesn't make it right, but Rayful had a lot of people who liked him and were very loyal to him. [4]

The meeting with John Thompson

Edmond was an avid fan of the Georgetown Hoyas, and frequently sat courtside with his entourage at the Capital Centre for home games. At the height of his empire, he became very friendly with several Hoyas players. When Georgetown University basketball coach (and D.C. native) John Thompson confirmed what was happening, he sent word through his sources to have Edmond meet him at his office at McDonough Gymnasium.

When Edmond arrived, Thompson was initially cordial, and informed Edmond that he needed to cease all contacts with his players, [5] specifically John Turner and Alonzo Mourning, both of whom had befriended Edmond. [6] However, Thompson's parting words to Edmond were that Edmond would face serious consequences if he did not stay away from his players. [7] It is believed that Thompson is the only person to stand up to Edmond without consequence, [8] initially causing some shock and surprise that there was no reprisal against Thompson for it. However, in a memoir published posthumously in December 2020, Thompson characterized the encounter very differently, calling it very respectful. Thompson asked Rayful if he would make sure that Alonzo and John were not wrapped up in any of the illegal activity. Rayful told Thompson that he would take care of it and both men left the meeting in agreement and with respect for each other as human beings. Rayful is quoted as saying afterwards, "Coach Thompson is cool as hell". [9]

Arrest, trial, and conviction

Edmond was arrested on April 15, 1989 [10] at the age of 24. His arrest and subsequent trial were widely covered by local and national media. Judicial officials, fearful of reprisals from members of Edmond's gang, imposed unprecedented security during the trial. Jurors' identities were kept secret before, during, and after trial, and their seating area was enclosed in bulletproof glass. The presiding judge even barred the public from the trial in an effort to protect the jury. [3] Edmond was jailed at the maximum security Marine Corps Brig at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia and flown to the Federal Court House in Washington, D.C. by helicopter each day for his trial. Authorities took this unusual step due to heightened fears of an armed escape attempt.

Edmond was convicted of numerous federal violations: (1) Engaging in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise, under 21 U.S.C. §§ 848(b), 853 (Count One); (2) Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and more than 50 grams of cocaine base, under 21 U.S.C. § 846 (Count Two); (3) Unlawfully employing a person under 18 years of age, under 21 U.S.C. § 845b (Count Five); (4) Interstate travel in aid of racketeering, under 18 U.S.C. § 1952(a) (Count Eleven); (5) Unlawful use of a communications facility, under 21 U.S.C. § 843(b) (Counts Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, and Eighteen). [11]

On September 17, 1990, the District Court imposed sentences of mandatory life without parole on Count One, life without parole on Counts Two and Five, 60 months on Count Eleven, and 48 months on Counts Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, and Eighteen. Edmond's sentences were to run concurrently. [11]

Edmond was eventually sentenced to life in prison without parole. His mother, Constance "Bootsie" Perry, [12] was sentenced to 14 years in prison for participating in his criminal enterprise. Several of his sisters and cousins also received sentences. [11]

Edmond continued to deal after being incarcerated in the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary, in Pennsylvania. He hooked up with Dixon Dario and Osvaldo "Chiqui" Trujillo-Blanco (son of Griselda "Godmother" Trujillo Blanco) who shared the same cell block with him. Edmond was setting up deals between D.C. area traffickers and his Colombian connection while incarcerated. In 1996, Edmond and another drug dealer from Atlanta, named Lowe, were convicted after conducting drug business from a federal prison phone. Edmond received an additional 30-year sentence. In an interview with the Bureau of Prisons, Edmond said he had spent several hours every day on the telephone, occasionally using two lines simultaneously to conduct his drug business. Attorney General Eric Holder criticized the Federal Bureau of Prisons for its lax management that allowed drug deals to be conducted from inside prison. [13]

In 1996, federal authorities revealed that Edmond had become a government informant. [13] [14] With Edmond's cooperation, the government arrested 11 alleged drug dealers working in Washington D.C. In exchange, federal prosecutors agreed to seek a reduced sentence for Edmond's mother. [14]

Edmond is still incarcerated but is now part of the United States Federal Witness Protection Program. The prison where he is held has not been disclosed by the government. [15]

In 2019, Edmond returned to D.C. for hearings on whether his life sentence should be reduced to time served based on the information he provided to authorities concerning 20 homicides. At the time, a survey by the District of Columbia Attorney General showed that half of D.C. residents thought Edmond should be released. [15] In 2021, Judge Emmet G. Sullivan granted the government's request for early release, although Edmond has a separate 30-year sentence for running his operation from prison. [16]

On July 31, 2024, Edmond was transferred from prison to a halfway house at an undisclosed location in Kentucky or Tennessee under the supervision of the Bureau of Prisons Nashville Residential Reentry Management Office. [17] [18]

In film

In music

In print

In television

Related Research Articles

Oscar Danilo Blandón Reyes is a Nicaraguan born drug trafficker who is best known as one of the main subjects of the 1996 newspaper series "Dark Alliance" by reporter Gary Webb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Mafia Family</span> American criminal organization

The Black Mafia Family (BMF) is a drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the United States. It was founded in 1985, in Southwest Detroit by brothers Demetrius Edward "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry Lee "Southwest Tee" Flenory. By 2000 it had established cocaine distribution sales throughout the United States through its Los Angeles-based drug source and direct links to Mexican drug cartels. The Black Mafia Family operated from two main hubs: one in Atlanta for distribution run by Demetrius Flenory and one in Los Angeles to handle incoming shipments from Mexico run by Terry Flenory.

The Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 were the catalyst for a Major League Baseball-related cocaine scandal. Several current and former members of the Pittsburgh Pirates – Dale Berra, Lee Lacy, Lee Mazzilli, John Milner, Dave Parker, Rod Scurry – and other notable major league players – Willie Aikens, Vida Blue, Enos Cabell, Keith Hernandez, Jeffrey Leonard, Tim Raines, Lonnie Smith and Alan Wiggins – were called before a Pittsburgh grand jury. Their testimony led to the drug trials, which made national headlines in September 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Lucas</span> American crime figure (1930–2019)

Frank Lucas was an American drug lord who operated in Harlem, New York City, during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was known for cutting out middlemen in the drug trade and buying heroin directly from his source in the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia. Lucas boasted that he smuggled heroin using the coffins of dead American servicemen, as depicted in the feature film American Gangster (2007), which fictionalized aspects of his life. This claim was denied by his Southeast Asian associate Leslie "Ike" Atkinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griselda Blanco</span> Colombian drug lord (1943–2012)

Griselda Blanco Restrepo was a Colombian drug lord who was prominent in the cocaine-based drug trade and underworld of Miami, during the 1970s through the early 2000s, and who has also been claimed by some to have been part of the Medellín Cartel. She was shot dead in Medellín on September 3, 2012 at the age of 69.

<i>American Gangster</i> (TV series) 2006 American TV series or program

American Gangster is a documentary television series that aired on BET. The show features some of Black America's most infamous and powerful gangsters and organized crime groups. It is narrated by Ving Rhames. The series premiere, on November 28, 2006, amassed around one million viewers. The first season ended on January 9, 2007, and comprised 6 episodes; a season 1 DVD was released on October 23, 2007. The second season aired October 3, 2007; a season 2 DVD was released on June 10, 2008. In April 2009, A&E Networks purchased the rights to air seasons 1–3 on their networks. They can be seen primarily on the Bio Channel and the flagship A&E Channel. They can also be seen on A&E's Crime and Investigation Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeway Ricky Ross</span> American former drug trafficker

Ricky Donnell "Freeway Ricky" Ross is an American author and former drug lord best known for the drug empire he established in Los Angeles, California, in the early to mid 1980s. He was sentenced to life in prison, though the sentence was shortened on appeal and Ross was released in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Valdez Villarreal</span> Mexican-American drug lord

Edgar Valdez Villarreal, also known as La Barbie, is a Mexican-American former drug lord and high-ranking lieutenant of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. Valdez is serving a 49-year prison sentence at USP Coleman II in Florida.

Melvin Douglas "Little Melvin" Williams was an African-American actor, author, entrepreneur, public speaker, educator, community activist, gambler and reformed drug trafficker. Considered a drug kingpin in the 1960s, Williams was known for trafficking heroin in Baltimore before he was sentenced to prison in 1985. After his release he began working as a community activist to help reform the lives of underprivileged minorities and youth. He later appeared as “The Deacon” in the HBO series The Wire and served as an inspiration for the show.

Hakeem Abdul-Shaheed, also known as Midget Molley, is an American convicted drug dealer and organized crime leader. He acquired the nickname 'Midget' from his family, in reference to his short height. He stands at 5'2".

A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise.

The District of Columbia Department of Corrections (DCDC) is a law enforcement agency responsible for the adult jails and other adult correctional institutions and law enforcement buildings for the District of Columbia, in the United States. DCDC runs the D.C. Jail.

The Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute is a United States federal law that targets large-scale drug traffickers who are responsible for long-term and elaborate drug conspiracies. Unlike the RICO Act, which covers a wide range of organized crime enterprises, the CCE statute covers only major narcotics organizations. CCE is codified as Chapter 13 of Title 21 of the United States Code, 21 U.S.C. § 848. The statute makes it a federal crime to commit or conspire to commit a continuing series of felony violations of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 when such acts are taken in concert with five or more other persons. For conviction under the statute, the offender must have been an organizer, manager, or supervisor of the continuing operation and have obtained substantial income or resources from the drug violations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfredo Beltrán Leyva</span> Convicted Mexican drug lord

Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, commonly referred to by his alias El Mochomo, is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former leader of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, a drug trafficking organization. He was one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords. Beltrán Leyva was responsible for smuggling multi-ton shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine to the United States from Mexico and South America between the 1990s and 2000s. He worked alongside his brothers Héctor, Carlos, and Arturo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurelio Cano Flores</span> Mexican drug trafficker (born 1972)

Aurelio Cano Flores, commonly referred to by his aliases Yankee and/or Yeyo, is an imprisoned Mexican drug trafficker and former high-ranking leader of the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug trafficking organization. He is also a former member of the Federal Judicial Police in Tamaulipas.

<i>The Life of Rayful Edmond</i> 2005 American film

The Life of Rayful Edmond Vol. 1 The Rise and Fall is a documentary film written and directed by Kirk Fraser. It was released by May 3rd Films on July 12, 2005 in Washington DC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpo Martinez</span> American drug trafficker (1966–2021)

Alberto Geddis Martinez, better known as Alpo Martinez, Abraham G. Rodriquez, or more simply as Alpo or Po was an American drug dealer from Harlem, New York City of Puerto Rican descent. He rose to prominence in the mid–1980s. In addition to New York, Martinez expanded his drug trade to other cities, notably Washington, D.C.

Kaboni Savage is an American drug dealer, organized crime leader, and mass murderer who is currently on federal death row for ordering the firebombing of a house where a federal witness lived, killing six people. He is the first man from Philadelphia in modern history to receive a federal death sentence. He has twelve convictions for murder in aid of racketeering, one fewer than the Pennsylvania state record, and the most for anyone in Philadelphia. Savage was the first person sentenced to death by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania since the federal death penalty resumed in 1988.

Salvador "Sal" Magluta is a Cuban American former drug kingpin and powerboat racer who, along with his partner Willy Falcon, operated one of the most significant cocaine trafficking organizations in South Florida history. The duo became known as Los Muchachos, Spanish for "The Boys".

Augusto Guillermo "Willy" Falcon is a former drug kingpin who, along with his partner Sal Magluta, operated one of the most significant cocaine trafficking organizations in South Florida history.

References

  1. ↑ "American Gangster, Rayful Edmonds III". Bet.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Rayful Edmond". Panachereport.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Chris79. "The Life Of Rayful Edmond Movie Trailer Video". Vodpod.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Barry, Marion; Tyree, Omar (2014). Mayor for Life, The Incredible Story of Marion Barry, Jr . Largo: Strebor Books. pp.  180. ISBN   978-1-59309-505-5.
  5. ↑ "In Times Like These, D.C. Sports Fans Should Remember the Greats". Bleacher Report. October 2, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  6. ↑ Wilbon, Michael. "A Coach, Not a Crusader". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  7. ↑ Wise, Mike (February 10, 2007). "Big John Is Still Big John". The Washington Post . Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  8. ↑ Ali (September 2, 2008). "Streetball, Sneakers, Bobbito, Nike Air Force, Jordans " Blog Archive " The Playground Gave Us Big John and Georgetown Basketball". Bouncemag.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  9. ↑ Thompson, John (December 17, 2020). "Behind John Thompson's closed-door meeting with drug kingpin Rayful Edmond III". Andscape . Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  10. ↑ Lewis, Nancy (May 16, 1989). "Edmond, 28 others indicted in drug ring". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 "USA v. RAYFUL EDMOND, III" (PDF). Court of Appeals, District of Columbia. April 28, 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  12. ↑ "The Once Millionaire Drug Dealer, Rayful Edmond III Could Get Another Chance - Unusual News". Zimbio. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  13. 1 2 Locy, Toni (August 9, 1996). "NOTORIOUS D.C. DRUG DEALER TURNS INFORMER TO AID MOM". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  14. 1 2 "Drug Kingpin Turns Snitch After Dealing From Prison". AP NEWS. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Alexander, Keith (October 15, 2019). "After 30 years behind bars, '80s D.C. drug kingpin Rayful Edmond III returns to court in hopes of early release". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Federal Judge Grants Sentence Reduction to D.C. Drug Kingpin Rayful Edmond" NPR (February 24, 2021) Retrieved February 16, 2022
  17. ↑ "Notorious DC drug kingpin Rayful Edmond moved from prison for halfway house" Fox 5 DC (August 1, 2024) Retrieved August 1, 2024
  18. ↑ "Former D.C. drug kingpin Rayful Edmond set to be released next year" The Washington Post (August 1, 2024) Retrieved August 1, 2024
  19. ↑ Cauvin, Henri E. (July 22, 2005). "A Drug Kingpin's Hot-Selling Story: DVD on Rayful Edmond III Has Captivated Washington". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  20. ↑ Seth Ferranti (2011). Rayful Edmond. Gorilla Convict Publications. ISBN   978-0980068771.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.