FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACTAUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885

FEBRUARY 5, 2007

FINAL DEFENDANT IN LEXINGTON TERRACE BOYS PROSECUTION PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY TO DISTRIBUTE CRACK COCAINE AND IS SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS

Last of Ten Violent Gang Members Convicted

Baltimore, Maryland - Gregory Parker, age 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

"The Lexington Terrace Boys prosecution was a joint federal and state effort that resulted in the convictions of 10 gang members and the clearance of at least 25 homicides in their West Baltimore neighborhood," said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to the plea agreement presented to the court, Gregory Parker was the leader of the “Jugs,” a group that included Karmaan Hawkins, Aaron Foster, Michael Taylor, and others, who conspired to sell crack cocaine in the neighborhood surrounding the public housing facilities known as Lexington Terrace and the Poe Homes in Baltimore. Parker obtained the crack for the group to distribute and collected the money at the end of the day. Parker also fronted quantities of crack cocaine to individuals in the Lexington Terrace neighborhood for distribution. From 2000 through 2003, the Jugs distributed in excess of 1.5 kilograms of crack cocaine in that neighborhood.

Parker was charged in the summer of 2003 as part of an investigation into a violent drug conspiracy in the Lexington Terrace neighborhood in West Baltimore. The extensive investigation into the drug trafficking and associated violence in and around that neighborhood established that some Lexington Terrace gang members engaged in a wide variety of criminal offenses to protect their territory and members, including narcotics trafficking, murders and attempted murders, witness tampering, arson, and armed robbery.

Hawkins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Foster and Taylor were convicted on April 1, 2004 of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and witness tampering. In addition, Foster was convicted of carjacking, and using a firearm in relation to the carjacking and Taylor was convicted of using a firearm in relation to a drug conspiracy, specifically, the murder of Robert McManus on February 22, 2002. Both were sentenced to life in prison.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the investigative work performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore City Police Department homicide detectives, the Housing Authority Police Force, and the Baltimore County Police Department. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea L. Smith and Stephanie Gallagher, who prosecuted the case.