Source: Office of United States Attorneys
DETROIT – Three members of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation (“AVLN”) were sentenced in federal court this week after a jury convicted them of RICO conspiracy, murder, drug trafficking, and weapons charges on April 23 of this year, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today. Ison was joined in the announcement by James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Evidence presented at trial, before United States District Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey, proved the Almighty Vice Lord Nation (AVLN) was a vast criminal enterprise which committed acts of violence, drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and other crimes across the country. The AVLN are divided into different branches, each with their own leadership that answers to a “board” in Chicago. The trial involved members of the Traveling Vice Lords in Detroit, Michigan. The jury convicted:
• Terry Douglas, 44, of Detroit, who held the title of “Chief” and was the Michigan leader of the Traveling Vice Lords. Douglas was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
• Schuyler Belew, 31, of Detroit, who held the title of “Universal Elite” and was the Detroit leader of the Traveling Vice Lords. Belew was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
• Devun Baskerville, 34, of Detroit, who held the title of “Chief Enforcer” for the Traveling Vice Lords. Baskerville was sentenced to 70 years in prison.
The evidence at trial showed that these members of the AVLN worked together to further the AVLN, which involved AVLN members committing racketeering acts such as murder, narcotics trafficking, and witness intimidation. The jury heard testimony concerning a brazen shooting that took place in broad daylight at a Detroit park. In that shooting, Baskerville, acting upon orders from Douglas and Belew, murdered an individual suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and attempted to murder his girlfriend when he shot several times into her vehicle as she tried to flee. Also in the vehicle were her two young children, who miraculously, were not harmed. The girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time, suffered gunshot wounds but survived.
The jury also convicted Lawon Carter of drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Carter’s sentencing is set for April 28, 2025.
“The sentences handed down in this case should send a clear message to violent offenders who terrorize our neighborhoods: we won’t stop until you are brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “It is my sincere hope that these sentences bring some closure to the victim’s family.”
“The sentencing of three more members of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation (AVLN) is proof that ATF and its partners have zero tolerance for gang members who use illegal firearms to intimidate and murder our community members. This case was a complete reckoning of this gang and should serve as a wake-up call for gang members across Michigan. These three defendants represent the worst of the worst in our community. Greed bought them a one-way ticket straight into federal prison. It should be common knowledge throughout Michigan: violent gang activity will not be tolerated and will be disrupted; if you pack an illegal firearm to threaten and intimidate people in our community – pack a bag. You’re going to go to federal prison,” said, Special Agent in Charge James Deir.
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Also instrumental in the investigation and prosecution of this case was the Detroit Police Department, and the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) investigation staff.