BMF co-leaders sentenced
September 16, 2008 at 5:30 pm by Mara Shalhoup in BMF, News
This is an updated and more detailed account of a post that appeared on Fresh Loaf last week.
DETROIT — On Sept. 12, inside a small courtroom on the second floor of the Theodore Levine federal courthouse, an anxious crowd gathered to witness the symbolic end of the government’s two-decade investigation into the Black Mafia Family.
One of the bailiffs barked a succinct order: “No outbursts.” A moment later, a team of U.S. marshals escorted a slender man, gazing straight ahead through rimless glasses, into the courtroom.
“That’s your Uncle T,” one of the onlookers, Lucille Flenory, whispered to her grandson, sitting next to her. The bespectacled man, Lucille’s son, was hardly recognizable as he made his way to the defense table. From the time he was locked up three years ago, Terry “Southwest T” Flenory lost close to 100 pounds.
Shuffling close behind him, in a matching orange jumpsuit, was Terry’s older brother, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and the tattooed letters “BMF” peeked above his collar on the left side of his neck. He scanned the courtroom, turned to his supporters and flashed a wide smile.
The two men, both of whom pleaded guilty to federal drugs charges last year, rose from the down-and-out streets of Detroit to build a massive, multistate cocaine empire headquartered in Atlanta and L.A. In less than two decades, the Flenory brothers and their Black Mafia Family amassed a $270 million fortune. The drug organization relied on an estimated 500 employees. And, with Meech’s guidance, BMF helped jump-start the careers of some of Atlanta’s best-known rappers.
Read the rest of this article here.
(Photo courtesy Tammy Cowins)
September 17th, 2008 at 11:35 am
TO MY BROTHER BIG MEECH YOU MAY BE GONE 4 A PHASE OF OUR LIFETIMES BUT YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, YOU WILL REMAIN IN MY HEART AND CONTINUE IN SOUL FOREVER. BMF LIFE
October 29th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
[...] T” Flenory. The Flenory brothers were charged in a separate indictment in Detroit and were sentenced last month to 30 years in federal [...]
October 30th, 2008 at 11:51 am
aintn a nother set of brothers out our city even out this world can neva do that again. but it will be tryed again. i bet u that big hommies.
October 31st, 2008 at 10:20 am
[...] U.S. Attorney Robert McBurney told the court that in late 2004, BMF leader Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory correctly suspected that the stash house — a modern mansion affectionately dubbed “Space [...]
November 3rd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
[...] BMF’s leaders, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, were indicted separately in Detroit, where they birthed their organization before moving to hubs in Atlanta and L.A. Last month, the Flenory brothers were sentenced to 30 years in prison. [...]
November 3rd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
[...] and his brother, Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, were sentenced in September to 30 years in federal prison on charges that they ran a continuing criminal enterprise. BMF is estimated to have moved at least [...]
November 7th, 2008 at 11:43 am
[...] was headed by brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory. The Flenorys each received 30-year sentences in a separate case in [...]