FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
December 11, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PDL BLOODS GANG MEMBER SENTENCED TO OVER 21 YEARS IN PRISON
FOR FEDERAL RACKETEERING AND DRUG CONSPIRACY
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Derrick Truesdale, age 34, of Baltimore, today to 262 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to conduct and participate in the racketeering enterprise activities of the Pasadena Denver Lanes Bloods gang (PDL Bloods), and for conspiracy to distribute drugs, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy. Judge Quarles enhanced Truesdale’s sentence upon finding that he was a career offender based on his three prior narcotics and two violent crime convictions.
According to his plea agreement, Truesdale is a member of PDL Bloods, a violent gang with members operating in Baltimore. PDL Bloods originated from a street gang known as “the Bloods” that was formed in Los Angeles, California in the early 1970s. As time passed, the Bloods spread to other locations and broke into individual “sets.” One such Bloods set based in southern California was called Pasadena Denver Lanes. The PDL Bloods gang members conspired to engage in criminal activity, including attempted murders, assaults, robberies and drug trafficking, from at least January 2008 to the present.
Truesdale sold heroin, crack cocaine and other drugs, and distributed heroin and crack cocaine to other PDL Bloods members. Truesdale also participated in gang sanctions and other violence against PDL members for perceived disobedience.
In a separate drug conspiracy, Truesdale conspired with other non-gang members to sell and distribute over 100 grams of heroin. Truesdale distributed heroin, collected money for the narcotics and assisted other members of the drug conspiracy in their distribution. The distribution of 3 kilograms to 10 kilograms of heroin among the co-conspirators in this additional drug conspiracy was reasonably foreseeable to Truesdale.
United States Attorney Rosenstein and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Jessamy praised the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Baltimore City Police Department, for their investigation of this case. The prosecutors expressed their appreciation to Secretary Gary D. Maynard and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their assistance in the investigation.
Mr. Rosenstein and Mrs. Jessamy also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kwame J. Manley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci Robinson, a cross-designated Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to EXILE cases, who prosecuted the RICO conspiracy case, and Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorneys Staci Pipkin and Brandis Marsh, who assisted in the prosecution; and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Celeste, a cross-designated Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to federal narcotics cases, who prosecuted the drug conspiracy case.