Melton Found Guilty In Kidnapping Case Of Wake Forest Man

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that today, KELVIN MELTON, a/k/a Dizzy, Old Man, 51, was found guilty in a jury trial of Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping and Aiding and Abetting, Kidnapping and Aiding and Abetting, and Using, Carrying, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of, a Kidnapping and Aiding and Abetting.

Frank Janssen was taken from his home against his will on April 5, 2014.  One Eight Trey Blood member MELTON, used a cell phone that he illegally possessed while serving a life sentence in North Carolina’s Polk Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, to transmit instructions to co-conspirators in the plot who then sent threats to Janssen’s wife.  Specifically, MELTON gave instructions on how to kill Mr. Janssen, dispose of his body and sanitize the crime scene.

Through a coordinated effort involving many federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team rescued Mr. Janssen at 11:55 pm on April 9, 2014 at a residence in Southeast Atlanta.

Acting United States Attorney John Stuart Bruce stated, “This crime was monstrously cruel to the victim and his family, including a dedicated public servant who was being targeted for her public service.  It was also an attack on our criminal justice system.  We must do more to stop convicted prisoners from reaching out from their prison cells to harm witnesses and law enforcement officials, and to continue their criminal enterprises.  The convictions in this case are a start.”

 “The evidence at trial showed Kelvin Melton to be a violent and ruthless individual who used his gang affiliations to commit a heinous crime against an innocent man.  Due to the incredible cooperation and coordination between the FBI and both our federal and local law enforcement partners, Melton will never again be able to reach beyond the prison bars to do others harm,”  said John Strong, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. 

At sentencing, MELTON faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI Charlotte, FBI Atlanta, the Wake Forest Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation with assistance by the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh Police Department, Durham Police Department, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, Garner Police Department, North Carolina Highway Patrol, RDU Police, City County Bureau of Investigation, the Cobb County Police Department, Alpharetta Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina is handling the prosecution of these cases.