Source: US FBI
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis cocaine trafficker responsible for nine murders to two consecutive life sentences in prison, plus five more years. Judge Autrey also ordered Anthony “TT” Jordan to pay restitution of $67,405.
Jordan, 38, was convicted by a jury in February of one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and nine counts of use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime resulting in death.
Evidence and testimony at that trial showed that Jordan led a major cocaine trafficking ring. “Building up his drug empire, Jordan maintained his status by enforcing a lethal code against those who snitched, those who stole, and those who targeted his associates,” a sentencing memorandum says. After a Jordan associate was murdered, Jordan later targeted a St. Louis gang he held responsible for the murder. He then targeted gang members and their families with the help of others.
According to evidence and testimony, Jordan was responsible for multiple non-fatal shootings and the murders of nine people:
- The April 19, 2008, murders of Al Walters, Linnie Jackson and Keith Burks.
- The Feb. 3, 2010, murders of Marquis Jones and Keairrah Johnson.
- The June 25, 2013, murder of Anthony “Blinky” Clark.
- The Dec. 29, 2013, murders of Robert “Parker G” Parker and Clara Walker.
- The Jan. 21, 2014, murder of Michail “Yellow Mack” Gridiron.
Jordan’s associate, Michael Brooks, fatally shot Montez “Tez” Woods on May 20, 2012, because Jordan believed he stole cocaine, according to evidence and testimony. When Brooks was killed in retaliation for the murder of Woods, that sparked another round of retaliatory murders by Jordan.
Jordan’s phone was later seized and found to contain images of some of the victims he murdered, including Mr. Clark and Mr. Gridiron. Twenty firearms were also seized from vehicles and residences connected to Jordan.
“Today’s sentencing of Anthony Jordan wraps up the last and most violent of the 34 defendants responsible for large-scale drug trafficking directly sourced from Mexican cartels,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Dismantling an entire criminal enterprise is what the FBI does best. Together with our law enforcement partners, this is how we are making the greatest impact in protecting our community.”
“Anthony Jordan’s reign of terror has come to an end,” DEA St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “Our hope is that today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that the DEA and our law enforcement partners will go to great lengths to remove criminals who bring violence and push harmful drugs into our communities. The life sentence of Anthony Jordan handed down today is the culmination of the dismantling of a violent drug trafficking network that no longer possesses the ability to wreak havoc in the St. Louis area.”
Jordan’s cocaine was supplied by Adrian Lemons, who obtained cocaine in bulk from representatives of a Mexican cartel. Lemons, now 47, of St. Louis, is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Lemons, Jordan and 32 others were indicted as part of a long-running investigation by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Granger and Donald Boyce prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.