Also, guilty pleas and sentences for gang members; man sentenced for shooting that injured young girl

Seven men charged in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case involving racketeering, attempted murder, drug dealing, and money laundering recently pled guilty and received prison sentences. A grand jury handed up a 151-count indictment in October 2017 against 54 co-defendants operating as part of a criminal enterprise doing business in Wilmington between January 2015 and October 2017. The case involves a large scale drug enterprise that so far has entailed guilty pleas to dealing heroin, dealing heroin with fentanyl, dealing cocaine, dealing oxycodone, dealing promethazine, money laundering, firearms possession, witness intimidation, and conspiracy first degree. The State’s indictment also includes allegations of bribery, tax evasion, and attempted murder in the form of both shootings and placing bounties on others. Deputy Attorneys General Mark Denney and Annemarie Puit prosecuted all the cases. So far in this racketeering case, 27 of the 54 defendants have been resolved with guilty pleas, with 26 still pending in state court, and 1 case indicted on the federal level. Defendants who pled guilty between September 4 and September 11 are:

• William Wisher, 38, of New Castle pled guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Organized Crime and Racketeering, Drug Dealing Tier 4 Cocaine, Drug Dealing Tier 4 Heroin, Conspiracy Second Degree and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. Sentenced as a habitual offender to 21 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 2 years of probation.
• Tamir Collins, 37, Wilmington pled guilty to Conspiracy Second Degree and Tampering with Physical Evidence. Sentenced to 1 year of probation.
• Derrick Williams, 38, of Wilmington pled guilty to Conspiracy Second Degree, Aggravated Possession of Heroin, and Tampering with Physical Evidence. Sentenced to 6 months of home confinement, followed by 1 year of probation.
• Eric Moore, 39, of Wilmington pled guilty to Conspiracy Second Degree, Drug Dealing Heroin, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. Sentenced to 1 year in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 18 months of probation.
• Jermaine Dollard, 46, Wilmington pled guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Organized Crime and Racketeering, Drug Dealing Cocaine, Drug Dealing Oxycodone, and Money Laundering. Sentenced to 3 years in prison followed by 2 years of probation.
• Quinton Turner, 33, Wilmington pled guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Organized Crime and Racketeering, Drug Dealing Cocaine and Money Laundering. Sentenced to 3 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 3 years of probation.
• Leroy Mitchell, 32, Wilmington pled guilty to Aggravated Act of Intimidation. Sentenced to 2 years in prison followed by 18 months of probation.

Deputy Attorneys General Mark Denney and A.J. Roop secured guilty pleas and sentences in two different cases related to gang activity in Wilmington.

• Jiaire Boyer, 20, of Elsmere, indicted in June along with 9 other members of the Shoot to Kill (STK) gang, pled guilty to charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Conspiracy Second Degree, and Resisting Arrest. In February 2018, police investigating gang activity received information about a music video posted on YouTube that indicated possession of a firearm. When police went to arrest Boyer, he jumped from a third floor window of his home, was chased and caught by a few blocks away. A Superior Court judge sentenced Boyer, prohibited from having a gun because of juvenile felony adjudications, to 6 months of home confinement followed by 1 year of probation. Boyer was ordered to have no contact with members of STK or the Only My Brothers gang, associates of either gang, and with social medi
• Elijah Thomas, 19, of Smyrna, a member of the Only My Brothers (OMB) gang, pled guilty to Gang Participation and Criminal Contempt after meeting with 20-year-old Oliver Henry of Dover, another gang member on probation and barred from having contact with other OMB members. A judge sentenced Thomas his 90 days of time served in prison and ordered him to have no contact with the OMB Gang, STK Gang, the associates of either gang, and with social media. Thomas will face habitual offender sentencing on any future felony convictions.

A 20-year-old Wilmington man whose gunfire hit a 7-year-old girl in 2017 received a prison sentence for his earlier guilty plea. On Labor Day 2017, Makim Richards, armed with a handgun, fired several shots at a home in the 1900 block of West 5th Street. A young girl riding a scooter on the street nearby received a graze wound on her ankle. Richards pled guilty in April to Assault Second Degree and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. A Superior Court judge sentenced Richards, barred from having a gun because of previous felony convictions on reckless endangering charges, to 9 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either work release or home confinement, then 2 years of probation. Deputy Attorney General Timothy Maguire prosecuted the case.

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