Three Members of Traveling Vice Lords/Junk Yard Dogs Street Gang Convicted of Racketeering Offenses

Memphis, TN – A federal jury in Memphis recently delivered guilty verdicts in a case involving three members of the Traveling Vice Lords/Junk Yard Dogs (TVL/JYD) street gang. Tomarcus (“TC”) Baskerville, 35, Thomas (“TJ”) Smith, 24, and Courtland (“Hotbox”) Springfield, 32, all of Fayette County, Tennessee, were convicted under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the guilty verdicts today. According to information presented in court, the TVL/JYD is a violent criminal street gang that operates throughout the Western District of Tennessee. A subset of Chicago’s Almighty Vice Lord Nation, the gang participated in a series of attempted murders and murders of rival gang members during a gang war in the summer of 2020. The shootings spanned five different crime scenes across Fayette and Hardeman counties.

A superseding indictment involving fifteen TVL/JYD members was filed in February 2023. The defendants were charged with conspiring to participate in racketeering and several incidents of attempted murder, using a firearm while committing a violent crime, murder in aid of racketeering, and using a firearm to cause death during an act of violence. Eleven defendants pled guilty in the case.

After a month-long trial, on February 9th, 2024, Baskerville, Smith, and Springfield were convicted of multiple charges under the superseding indictment:

• Gang leader Tomarcus Baskerville was convicted of 21 counts, including attempted Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) murder, VICAR murder, the use of a firearm during attempted VICAR murders, and RICO conspiracy. Baskerville will face a mandatory sentence of two life terms.
• Thomas Smith was convicted of attempted VICAR murder, use of a firearm during an attempted VICAR murder, and RICO conspiracy. Smith will face up to life in prison.
• Courtland Springfield was found guilty of four counts of attempted VICAR murder, four counts of using a firearm during attempted VICAR murders, VICAR murder, using a firearm during the VICAR murder, and RICO conspiracy. Springfield faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

There is no parole in the federal system. Sentencing in this case is set for June 7, 2024.

This case was investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office; Whiteville Police Department; and Somerville Police Department.

United States Attorney Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Neal Oldham, William Bateman, Beth Boswell, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Raven Icaza who prosecuted this case, as well as law enforcement partners who investigated the case. Additionally, he thanked District Attorney General Mark Davidson and the 25th Judicial District for their assistance in the prosecution.