Florida Officials Take Down Dozens of Gang Members Affiliated to ‘Sex Money Murder’ Gang

By  //  April 14, 2022

drugs confiscated worth more than $1.5 million in street value

ABOVE VIDEO: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is briefs the media about a multi-agency, year-long gang racketeering investigation.

POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA – Attorney General Ashley Moody, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the arrests of 13 gang leaders on Wednesday who are part of the Bloods-affiliated Sex Money Murder gang.

All but two of the defendants belong to the Florida section of the SMM gang. One of those arrested holds a state-level leadership position in the North Carolina section of SMM. The suspects face a wide array of charges stemming from gang activity that included a complex scheme to deal drugs in state prisons.

Charges include racketeering, directing the activities of a criminal gang, witness tampering and conspiracy to commit murder.

“This massive law enforcement operation eliminated the main state leadership of a notorious, nationwide gang operating across Florida,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody.

“Our law enforcement heroes put in countless hours and risked their own safety to take down gangsters who demonstrated a complete lack of respect for human life. Because of these officers and my Statewide Prosecutors, we are all safer, and their actions will have far-reaching, positive implications on communities across the state.”

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd

“All you need to know about this gang is in its title: Sex Money Murder. We are not going to put up with these gangs brazenly coordinating and committing crimes in our communities,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

They are an organized criminal enterprise, ruthlessly focused on violence, theft, fraud and profiting from the human misery and violence of the illegal drug trade. Our message to other gang members in Polk County and throughout Florida: don’t throw your life away on gangs. If you do, and we catch you, you will go to prison for a long, long time.”

Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon

“FDC is proud to work in concert with our law enforcement partners as part of our public safety mission,” Dixon said.

“This partnership represents an ongoing effort and our commitment to identifying and preventing criminal activity from occurring within our walls. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring a safe environment for those entrusted to our care and furthering public safety for all Floridians.”

According to a multiagency investigation, leadership of SMM devised and executed a scheme to smuggle synthetic cannabinoids into at least three state prisons. Evidence secured during the investigation revealed that members of SMM sprayed the drugs onto pages of the Bible, Koran and greetings cards and then mailed them to gang members in the prisons.

During the execution of search warrants at the residences of gang leaders in three counties, police found firearms as well as large quantities of crack, cocaine and cannabis. Several members face charges associated with home invasions. During the investigation, SMM leadership also ordered murder-hits on two former gang members and face charges associated with those crimes.

The following SMM gang members led this criminal gang activity in Florida and face charges connected to those crimes:

1. Hernando Thompson – Commissioner
Racketeering, RICO/Conspiracy and three counts of Directing an Activity of a Criminal Gang

2. James Roundtree – Number Two Leader (Hi-20)
Racketeering, RICO/Conspiracy and three counts of Directing an Activity of a Criminal Gang

3. Donahue Stephenson – Number Two Prison Boss (Hi-20)
Racketeering, RICO/Conspiracy and one count of Directing an Activity of a Criminal Gang

4. Andree Romeus – Gang Advisor
Racketeering, RICO/Conspiracy and three counts of Directing an Activity of a Criminal Gang

5. Jonathan Fleming – North Carolina Leader
RICO/Conspiracy

6. Tonisha Fisher – Number One Female Leader (First Lady)
Racketeering and RICO/Conspiracy

7. Cerenia Mixon – Gang Secretary
Racketeering, RICO/Conspiracy and two counts of Directing an Activity of a Criminal Gang

8. Tyreese Cruz – County-level Leader
Racketeering, RICO/Conspiracy and two counts of Directing an Activity of a Criminal Gang

9. Deshon Morris – Gang Enforcer
RICO/Conspiracy

10. Horatio Walker – General Member
Racketeering, RICO/Conspiracy and Tampering with a Witness

11. Antonio Taylor – General Member
RICO/Conspiracy and four counts of Recruiting Members to Join a Criminal Gang

12. Xavier Ulysse – General Member
Conspiracy to Commit Murder

13. Rodney Street – Member of the Nine-Trey Gangster Bloods
RICO/Conspiracy

Law enforcement arrested the 13 SMM leaders during a broader operation that netted more than 40 gang members total. Detectives served six search warrants throughout the investigation in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Mount Dora, Orlando and Lake City.

Illegal drugs, firearms, and currency seized:
21.45 pounds of methamphetamine
2,595 grams of cocaine
3,051 grams of cannabis
249 grams of MDMA
719 grams of synthetic cannabis
7.86 grams of fentanyl
28 grams of mushrooms
8 grams of alprazolam
52 grams of oxycodone
1846 grams of promethazine
18 firearms
$17,514 in US currency

The total street value of the drugs confiscated is more than $1.5 million.

Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution worked closely with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and FDLE detectives on the massive gang-roundup case. Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Michael Filteau will prosecute the defendants.

The Sex Money Murder gang is a criminal gang which became a subset of The United Blood Nation. The gang was founded by Peter “Pistol Pete” Rollock, who is revered as the “Godfather” of the criminal gang—he is currently serving life in federal prison. The Sex Money Murder gang’s primary focus was initially street-level drug dealing, aggravated assaults, and murders to further their criminal organization.

As members of Sex Money Murder were arrested and incarcerated, they indoctrinated new members from other regions into the gang who were also in prison. This enabled the gang to spread throughout the east coast and into central Florida as more and more prisoners became members and then were released from prison.

According to the current investigation, in late 2018 and into 2019 and 2020, Polk County, and neighboring counties within the state of Florida began to experience a string of home invasion robberies and other violent and property crimes associated with members of the Sex Money Murder gang.  Based on information developed by detectives, a wire investigation was initiated of the identified secretary of Polk County for the Sex Money Murder criminal gang, Cerenia Mixon.  This ultimately allowed for the monitoring of communications for the leader of Polk County, Andree Romeus.  Information obtained from monitoring those communications ultimately allowed for the monitoring of communications associated with the number one and number two ranking members for the State of Florida, Hernando Thompson and James Roundtree.

Communications were often heavily coded in an attempt to thwart any efforts to monitor criminal activity.  Subsequently, detectives were able to identify a vast network of communications by the Sex Money Murder gang ranging from the street to within various prisons around Florida.  Detectives worked with the Florida Department of Corrections to identify inmates and confirm gang affiliations while monitoring communications where instruction and direction was provided from leadership both within the prison and from the leadership on the street on how the gang should operate.  Communications also revealed discussions on physical attacks on members in bad standing and an attempt to kill a gang member.

Florida RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) Act

In Florida (FSS Chapter 895 Sections 895.01-895.06), a racketeering offense (RICO) occurs when an unlawful organization commits or attempts/solicits/conspires to commit coordinated illegal activities such as murder, money laundering, embezzlement, extortion, weapons offenses, burglary, theft, bribery, and other crimes. In Florida, RICO is charged as a first-degree felony and it can result in 30 years imprisonment and significant monetary fines. In cases related to organized gang crimes in Florida, according to Florida Statute 874.04—Gang-related offenses; enhanced penalties—first-degree felonies can be enhanced to a life felony, meaning for RICO gang crimes the sentence can be up to life in prison upon conviction.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) was designed to prosecute individuals engaging in organized crime. A person can be charged with racketeering if they engage in a pattern of racketeering—such as committing at least two racketeering activities within a ten year period.