Jimmy Henchman was born James J. Rosemond on February 5, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents Constantine and Andrea Frazier Rosemond's two-parent home also included James' brothers Mario, Kesner and Lionel and his sister Nadge.
Rosemond's criminal career began at the age of 16 when he was arrested for bike theft. That arrest resulted in his incarceration at Riker's Island in the C-74 juvenile detention center where he would meet other future career criminals such as Kelvin "50 Cent" Martin. While incarcerated together, Rosemond was known by the nickname "Ace" and Martin was given the name "Little Bastard". Years later, after Martin's death, Rosemond would pay for a $9,000 red granite monument to adorn the grave of his former fellow inmate. Less than two years later, Rosemond was charged with criminal possession of a firearm and three months after that arrest he was again charged with a weapons violation. This time, at 18 years old, he was also charged with robbery in the first degree as well as second degree murder. A year later, Rosemond earned his third charge for criminal possession of a firearm.
Eventually, Rosemond's criminal activity extended beyond his native New York when, in February of 1996, he was again charged with criminal possession of a firearm - this time in Los Angeles.
November 5 of the same year slain movie star and rapper, Tupac Shakur's first posthumous album, The Don Killuminat: The 7 Day Theory, was released amidst a fan frenzy and widespread media coverage - owing in no small part to the fact that Shakur had been murdered two months earlier. The album's final track, "Against All Odds", a song in which Shakur addresses his perceived enemies contains accusations that Rosemond was instrumentally involved in the actor's first shooting, which occurred two years earlier. During the incident, which occurred on the night of November 30, 1994, Shakur was confronted by two men wearing military fatigues upon entering the lobby of popular recording studio, Quad Studios. Shakur and his party, which included Randy "Stretch" Walker of the rap group the Live Squad and another man, were held up at gunpoint by the two assailants. Shakur was robbed of $40,000 worth of diamond and gold jewelry. During the robbery, Shakur was shot five times and pistol-whipped. He was wounded once in the hand and thigh, twice in the groin and twice in the head. On November 30, 1995, Walker was shot to death while driving in Queens, New York - exactly one year to the day after Shakur's shooting.
Rosemond and his son, James J. Rosemond, Jr.
In 2000, Rosemond was sentenced to 19 months in prison stemming for a conviction for a weapons violation.
Despite his lengthy arrest record, Rosemond was also an enormously successful music industry executive. Rosemond founded and headed Czar Entertainment, a management company that at one time or another was responsible for guiding the careers of actor Michael K. Williams and several prominent music performers including Brandy, The Game, Shyne, Too Short, Akon, Sean Kingston, Gucci Mane, Salt-N-Pepa, Trillville, Big Gipp (of Goodie Mob), Sheek Louch (of the Lox), Pleasure P. (of Pretty Ricky), Smitty and Yummy Bingham.
On January 21, 2005, Rosemond accompanied his then-client Jayceon "The Game" Taylor to an on-air interview with Richard "DJ Xzulu" Dunkerson of Lanham, Maryland radio station WKYS 93.9. Both Rosemond and Taylor were charged with second-degree assault following an attack on Dunkerson reportedly instigated by his teasing Rosemond about his bluetooth earpiece. While the charges against Taylor were dropped, in February 2006 Rosemond was sentenced to five years suspended and three years of probation following legal proceedings which reportedly included rapper Dana "Queen Latifah" Owens testifying as a character witness on Rosemond's behalf.
In early 2007, Rosemond's son, James Jabulani Rosemond, Jr. (14-years-old at the time) was allegedly slapped by rapper Marvin "Tony Yayo" Bernard and his associate and reputed member of the Bloods street gang Lowell "Lodi Mack" Fletcher. The alleged assault is widely believed to have been connected to the ongoing rap feud (at the time) between Bernard's rap group G-Unit and former member Jayceon "The Game" Taylor - owing to the fact that Taylor was professionally represented by Rosemond's Czar Entertainment. On March 24, Bernard was arrested and charged with assault for the incident. On April 18, 2007, the home of Bernard's mother was targeted in a drive-by shooting in what is believed to be retaliation for the assault of Rosemond's teenaged son. Dave Lighty, brother of late G-Unit manager Chris Lighty, was assaulted in a razor attack, Bernard's Bentley was shot at in Harlem and a bullet-proof vehicle belonging to G-Unit was torched as well in what authorities allege as further retaliation in the feud. In February of 2008, prosecutors dropped the charges against Bernard citing insufficient evidence. Fletcher meanwhile, was shot to death in the Bronx on September 27, 2009, in what authorities believe to be more retaliation for the alleged assault on Rosemond's son.
A 2010 article by Alison Gendar in the New York Daily News alleged that Rosemond had acted as a cooperating witness with authorities on more than one occasion. In 1996, while serving time for narcotics and weapons charges in North Carolina, Rosemond reportedly notified authorities that four of his fellow inmates had invited him to participate in a planned escape attempt. In 1997, Rosemond reportedly cooperated with authorities in order to gain leniency for bail-jumping charges back in New York. Allegedly, he described how staff members at the correctional facility in which he'd been detained altered official documents so that he could appear to post bail legally. Rosemond and his current attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, who has also served as defense counsel for John Gotti, Jr., have since denied accusations that he ever acted as an informant and point out that he never signed a cooperation agreement. Lichtman has stated, "He met with [federal prosecutors] for a single session, but there are plenty of reasons people meet with prosecutors. His lawyer at the time inflated what happened in an attempt to get a better sentence, and it didn't work...The fact is that prosecutors later claimed he flat-out lied to them, and they weren't happy about it."
Game and James "Jimmy Henchman"
Rosemond
In June 2010, the DEA concluded it's investigation of Rosemond by issuing a warrant for his arrest on drug trafficking charges. After going into hiding for a month, Rosemond was trailed to the W hotel in Manhattan by authorities and arrested after a brief chase on foot during which he chipped a tooth after being wrestled to the ground by federal marshals. On October 6, 2011, Rosemond's older brother, Kesnar Rosemond, was sentenced to 12 years for drug trafficking offenses connected to the organization headed by his younger brother.
In 2011, Dexter Isaac, a convicted felon sentenced to life for murder began cooperating with agents for the Drug Enforcement Agency and prosecutors investigating Rosemond for drug trafficking. Isaac, who is currently serving his life sentence at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, confessed to prosecutors that he was in fact the triggerman during Tupac Shakur's 1994 shooting. Isaac informed investigators that he and an accomplice perpetrated the robbery and shooting of Shakur at the behest of Rosemond for a $2500 cash payment and all of the jewelry on the rapper's person - save one of two diamond rings. According to Isaac, Rosemond wanted to present one of Shakur's diamonds to his longtime girlfriend, Cynthia Reed - albeit in a new setting. It's worth noting that by the time Isaac came forward, the statute of limitations for the crime had expired.
In May 2012, Rosemond was put on trial for operating a multi-million, bi-coastal drug trafficking network following a lengthy investigation by federal and state agencies. Rosemond was represented in court by attorney Gerald Shargel, who also represented Mafia don John Gotti; John Gotti, Jr.; mobster Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano; actress Amanda Bynes; and James "Jimmy C" Coonan, leader of the Hell's Kitchen-based Irish-American organized crime organization, the Westies. During the trial, prosecutors asserted that Rosemond generated in excess of $11 million each year since 2007 in drug proceeds. Prosecutors alleged that Rosemond's organization routinely shipped narcotics concealed in packages covered in mustard to throw off drug-sniffing dogs, in music equipment cases from Los Angeles to New York City and in turn shipped the cash proceeds from cocaine sales back to California.
On June 5, 2012 Rosemond was found guilty on all 13 charges brought by prosecutors in his federal trial for drug trafficking. He was convicted of cocaine distribution, conspiracy, money laundering, witness tampering and criminal possession of a firearm. On June 22, Rosemond was formally charged with the murder of Lowell "Lodi Mack" Fletcher.
On Friday, October 25, 2013, Rosemond was sentenced to life in prison in Brooklyn Federal Court. He was also ordered to forfeit cash and assets totaling $14 million.
In November 2013, it was revealed that a federal informant, listed as "CW-3" on federal documents to protect the witness' identity, confessed to being the triggerman behind the 2005 shooting of music mogul, Suge Knight. The informant told investigators that he shot Knight, head of the Death Row Records music label, on orders from Rosemond for a $10,000 payment. The informant stated that Rosemond personally supplied him with the gun used in the shooting and that the two of them fled the scene together immediately after the assault. At 12:42 a.m., August 28, 2005, Knight was shot once in the leg while seated at a table in the Red Room VIP section of the Shore Club in Miami Beach, Florida. Knight was in attendance as a guest at a party being hosted by rapper Kanye West in celebration of the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards held the following night. Witnesses at the party, who did not identify the shooter, stated that at least six shots were fired.
Rosemond's federal trial for the shooting death of Lowell "Lodi Mack" Fletcherbegan on February 10, 2014 and concluded March 4, 2014, resulting in a hung jury.Rosemond's retrial began December 2, 2014, at which United States attorney, Preet Bharara, presented 35 prosecution witnesses including former Rosemond associates Khalil Abdullah, Mohammed "Tef" Stewart and Brian "Slim" McCleod to testify against him. On December 11, 2014, he and co-defendant Rodney Johnson were convicted of conspiracy to commit murderand murder-for-hire. Rosemond was sentenced to life plus 20 years on March 23, 2015.
On November 1, 2016, the
U.S. Court of Appeals' Second Circuit vacated Rosemond's March 2015
conviction for murder for hire. The appellate court cited that the
district court (United States District Court for the Southern District
of New York) "incorrectly applied the waiver provision in defendant's
proffer agreement, and erred in precluding defense counsel from making
certain arguments at trial." On the evening of November 28, at about 8 p.m., Rosemond was convicted of four counts of murder-for-hire. During the two-week trial, prosecution witness Brian "Slim" McCleod testified that he participated in luring Fletcher to the Bronx to be murdered. Rosemond's attorney, David Touger, failed to convince the federal jury that his client had merely intended for his triggermen to shoot at Fletcher as opposed to killing him.
Edward Hanserd was born October 12, 1963 and raised on the eastside of Detroit, Michigan. He grew up in the gang-ridden, impoverished, northeast Detroit neighborhood of Osborn. Before dropping out he attended Osborn High School, which has been described as having the appearance of a prison.Ironically, "Big Ed" would ultimately only grow to 5'6. Hanserd made his first steps toward becoming a druglord as a low level marijuana dealer. While his marijuana business eventually provided him with a sizable income, he still hadn't attained the kind of success realized by two childhood associates, Maserati Rick Carter and Demetrius Holloway. In fact, Carter and Holloway and their Best Friends drug network, who were higher up on the illegal drug food chain, were Hanserd's initial suppliers.
Eventually, Hanserd's success and ambition led him to break away from the Best Friends umbrella in order to establish himself independently of the by now preeminent drug organization on the eastside of Detroit. Hanserd negotiated with notorious California crack kingpin Rick Ross for a steady supply of cocaine, which allowed him to step out from underneath the shadow of Carter's organization. Hanserd expanded his inventory to crack cocaine and marketed his personalized brand of the drug, which he named "Tutti-Frutti". In order to conceal the true source of his earnings, he purchased hair salons and cultivated a public image of a successful entrepreneur. One of these salons, located on Jefferson Avenue - a main Detroit thoroughfare, quickly became Hanserd's base of operations.
At some point, Hanserd and Carter's relationship devolved into a professional and personal rivalry. There is some dispute as to the
origin of the fued between Hanserd and Carter. While some attribute the
hostilities to a debt owed to Carter from Big Ed, others trace the bad blood to
Hanserd's expansion into territory already held by Carter.Still others ascribe the tension to
Hanserd's eschewing of Carter as his exclusive supplier in favor of an outside
connection in California. Whatever the source may have been, the
conflict which initially manifested itself through rumored unflattering words
(Big Ed is said to have claimed that his nickname was given to him by Carter's
mother), in the summer of 1987 it progressed to a public face-to-face
argument in the Unisex Hair Salon owned by Hanserd and eventually led to
shootouts and murder attempts between the two.
As Hanserd's business grew, he inevitably found himself both competing with his former associates and racking up arrests. In 1987, Hanserd and a few of his employees were pulled over in downtown Los Angeles by LAPD officers who declined to make a formal arrest but determined that Hanserd was in possession of a new Mercedes-Benz 500SE, Porsche and Ferrari - not to mention several false identification cards.
Big Ed (left)
Within months, Hanserd was involved in a shootout with Carter back in Detroit. The exchange of automatic gunfire resulted in Hanserd being shot in the stomach and left to recuperate for months. When questioned by police Hanserd refused to name his attackers, instead declaring that he'd "handle it" himself. In an effort to escape the danger and police pressure Big Ed temporarily relocated to Yazoo City, Mississippi. In an attempt to maintain a low profile he purchased a home in the name of his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie Jacobs. Ironically, in light of Hanserd's intention to go unnoticed, the frequent comings and goings of his associates via high-priced luxury and sports cars as well as the armed guards patrolling the grounds did garner unwarranted attention, with local residents describing the home as a fortified compound.
Big Ed's drug-running operation continued while he was away and the Hanserd organization's profile rose dramatically with law enforcement around this time. In February of 1988, Hanserd was detained by Louisiana state police following a traffic stop wherein $198,000 in cash was seized. Another traffic stop in March resulted in the seizure of 31 kilos of cocaine from Hanserd associate, Nathaniel Wilson. In addition to the seizures, Hanserd was also arrested and charged with weapons violations on three separate occasions as well as a few DUIs. During an arrest for a weapons violation he was quoted as telling the arresting officers, "I am going to get Maserati Rick, and then I am going to get you". Ironically, Hanserd was soon arrested during yet another traffic stop while driving a Maserati. Officers seized $3,000 more dollars of Hanserd's cash. Nevertheless, Hanserd was eventually released and made his return to Detroit where he resumed his war with Carter.
Maserati Rick
In all, Carter is said to have
made three attempts on Big Ed's life, but the hostilities were very much mutual. Big Ed reportedly participated in a drive-by of Carter's mother's home while she was standing on the front porch holding Carter's 2-year old son. Two months later Big Ed tried again - this time the drive-by target was the mother of Carter's son. Big Ed however got the address wrong and instead shot up the house belonging to the next door neighbor of his intended victim. On September 10, 1988 a shootout ensued outside of one of Carter's car washes when Hanserd and another man opened fire on him. Carter was left wounded in the stomach (similar to the one suffered by Hanserd in their first exchange of gunfire) and Hanserd and his associate were both shot in the arm. None of the participants cooperated with police investigators.
Two days later while Carter was being treated for the injuries he sustained in the shooting, one of Hanserd's enforcers, Lodrick "The Hitman" Parker entered his hospital room at Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital. When Parker left the room (number 307) Carter was dead from gunshots to the face. The 29-year-old was officially pronounced dead at 6:01 pm. The assailant, Parker, was reputed to be the third man present during Carter and Hanserd's final confrontation. Hanserd himself had an airtight alibi as he was in police custody for unlawful possession of a firearm during the time of the shooting. Hanserd denied any involvement in the shooting and simply confessed to investigators that he'd once thrown a brick through the window of one of Carter's car washes. Carter's murder became the first time that there was a shooting inside the hospital in it's 50 year history. The circumstances of his killing resulted in a permanent change in hospital policy throughout the city and increased security measures and screening for visitors.
Hanserd's top enforcer, Lodrick Parker
In January of 1990, Hanserd was once again targeted in a traffic stop while driving a brand new Ford Bronco which he'd purchased two days earlier. The stop netted police a seizure of $369,000 of Hanserd's cash. In March of that year Hanserd was apprehended after a police chase that ended in a four-car pile-up that included Hanserd's BMW. He was again charged with weapons violations when a search of his car turned up a MAC-10 and an Israeli assault rifle.
Two years after Carter's murder, Hanserd was questioned in the kidnapping and disappearance of Carter's business partner, Demetrius Holloway. Eventually, it was revealed that Holloway had orchestrated his own public, but faked, kidnapping in an attempt to evade both his rivals and law enforcement. On October 8, 1990, Holloway was shot in the back of the head while shopping in his favorite store. As with Carter's murder two years earlier, the triggerman was Lodrick Parker and again Hanserd was in police custody at the time of Holloway's shooting.
In late 1990, several of Hanserd's hair salons were firebombed. Hanserd was brought to trial when one of his associates, Anthony Medina, began cooperating with federal prosecutors during their investigation against him for drug trafficking. Hanserd and his attorney Stephen Rabaut learned that his organization faced 24 counts related to drug trafficking when the federal indictment was unsealed on August 2, 1990. Prosecutors estimated that Hanserd trafficked upwards of 200 kilos of cocaine from 1984 to 1990 and generated $54 million annually in narcotics sales at his peak. According to law enforcement, he was shot 9 times on three separate occasions. In 1991, Hanserd pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and two counts of using a firearm in a drug trafficking offense. On May 9, 1991 he was sentenced to 30 years on the conspiracy count and five years each on the firearms charges. Hanserd was transported tothe medium-security federal prison FCI Pekin in Pekin, Illinois and later to FCI Victorville, a medium-security federal prison in Victorville, California. He is currently completing his sentence in a halfway-house in Sacramento, CA and is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2016.
Demetrius Edward Flenory was born on June 21, 1968 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the first child born to Charles and Lucille Flenory. His younger brother, Terry Lee, was born two years later in the family's new home - Detroit. The two brothers (and their sister, Nicole) grew up in southwest Detroit, close to the small, nearby cities River Rouge and Ecorse (which was in bankruptcy from 1986 to 1990) in the shadow of Motown. The Flenory brotherscame of age during the 1980s, when their impoverished hometown was besieged by the ravages of the crack boom. Local headlines were dominated by the exploits of notorious local drug organizations such as YBI and Pony Down. The evening news also gave extensive coverage to the lives, and oftentimes deaths, of homegrown street legends like Maserati Rick Carter, Butch Jones and Ed Hanserd. Demetrius and Terry reportedly began their criminal careers selling $50 bags of crack in the mid-1980s as teenagers. Demetrius, who was known as "Meechie" around this time, dropped out of high school in the tenth grade at the age of 16 to devote his full attention to the drug business and the brothers quickly progressed to selling two kilos (4.4 lbs) worth of cocaine a week. Before the 1980s came to a close, Demetrius made his first trip to the city that would become his adopted home - Atlanta, Georgia.
While not members themselves, the brothers developed strong ties to a Northwest Detroit gang called the PA Boys - named after their base, Puritan Avenue. The PA Boys, however, were under intense scrutiny by law enforcement throughout the 1980s and 90s. Demetrius' association with PA Boys members, such as Damone "Slim" Brantley, Reginald "The Dude" Danzy, and one of the organization's enforcers, Thelmon "T-Stuck" Stuckey, who would later be sentenced to life in federal prison, is what initially brought him to the attention of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In 1988, Demetrius was sentenced to two years probation following a conviction for drug possession. In the mid-1990s the brothers traveled to California seeking a direct connection to foreign suppliers so as to cut out all of the middle-men and thus, keep more money for themselves as well as to reduce the number of people with knowledge of their dealings. They were eventually introduced to Mexican cartel sources through California drug trafficker Wayne "Wayniac" Joyner.
The brothers laundered their drug proceeds through a taxi service that Terry founded using the money that he was awarded by a settlement of a malpractice suit following a botched eye surgery. In 1994, Demetrius and a Colombian accomplice were arrested on drug charges which were eventually dropped due to insufficient evidence.
By the mid-1990s, the brothers had expanded outside of Detroit and even Michigan. They began making inroads into other states including Kentucky, Georgia, Missouri, Texas and California. When the dominant cocaine traffickers in Atlanta, Georgia, the Miami Boys, were dissolved as a result of a string of federal convictions in the early 1990s, the two took advantage of the situation and quickly took steps to fill the vacuum. After negotiating with local distributors to become the new dominant suppliers in the area, Demetrius relocated to the city in order to oversee operations in the region.
Despite being arrested numerous times beginning in his late teens, Demetrius avoided serving prison time throughout his long criminal career. In February, 1996, Demetrius was arrested at an Atlanta strip club, Magic City, and charged with assault. He was accused of throwing a bottle at another clubgoer and slicing his neck. The charges were eventually dropped. On October 4, undercover U.S. Customs agents were given $300,000 from employees of the Flenory brothers in a cocaine buy in Michigan. On the 29th, ICE agents seized a quarter of a million dollars from Flenory associates during a drug transaction in Detroit. That same day, Sherman Oaks, California police seized $576,000 in cash from Terry Flenory's long-time girlfriend, Tonesa Lynette Welsh. On October 3, 1997, police in Spalding, Georgia seized $143, 221 in cash from suspected BMF member Martez Jackson. On October 30, Demetrius was alleged by the DEA to have murdered a federal informant in Atlanta. Though he was never charged, he was believed to have been the shooter in the murder of Dennis Kingsley Walker, a Detroit drug dealer who had become one of their cooperating witnesses. This incident triggered a low-priority investigation of Demetrius by the DEA.
In 1998, Demetrius was arrested during a raid of one of his Atlanta stash houses. He was charged with felony obstruction and marijuana possession. On May 10, 1999, police in Polk County, Texas seized 18 kilos of cocaine from employees of the brothers. That same day, Beaumont, Texas police seized $424,190 cash during the arrest of Flenory associate Bruce Martin. In 2000, Demetrius was arrested for DUI in California. That same year, Terry permanently relocated to Los Angeles in order to oversee the receipt of the cocaine shipments from Mexico. While they remained partners, the brothers effectively split the organization into two halves with each overseeing his own distinct subgroup from his respective base of operations - Demetrius in Atlanta and Terry in Los Angeles. Reportedly, during this time period the Flenory's previously un-named organization began to be called the Black Mafia Family, or BMF. It's worth noting that BMF is also a ready acronym for the nickname of one of the it's founders - Big Meech Flenory. On December 2, 17 kilos of cocaine were seized by authorities during the arrest of a BMF associate in Flagstaff, Arizona. On February 5, 2001, Kansas City, Missouri police confiscated 9 kilos of cocaine from a BMF member.
BMF grew to over 500 members and operated in 11 states including Georgia, California, Missouri, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, New York, Texas, Alabama and Michigan. The organization dominated the drug trade in Atlanta and other cities largely due to the lower prices they offered to distributors. Because they obtained their cocaine wholesale directly from a Mexican cartel for $9,000 per kilo, and thereby bypassed the usual middle-men costs, BMF was able to pass the savings on to street dealers - at $17,000 per kilo. The Flenorys' direct connection to Mexico also allowed for a purer product, estimated to be 90% pure, which they in turn marketed to distributors. BMF named their special brand of cocaine "Hummer", and reaped the profits derived from it's enormous popularity with lower-level dealers and ultimately, the users themselves. Investigators estimate that BMF was selling 600 kilos per month.
After nearly 15 years of more or less staying under the radar of both the general public and law enforcement, Demetrius began to raise his public profile not long into the 21st century. Demetrius became a regular figure on the Atlanta, GA club scene and was usually accompanied by dozens of BMF members - all adorned in t-shirts bearing the organization's abbreviated moniker. He and his entourage could frequently be seen at the famed strip club, Magic City. Demetrius and BMF are widely credited with popularizing the practice of "making it rain", wherein a large amount of money is thrown into the air so that it can shower down onto a stripper. Two days after his birthday in 2003, he threw a party to celebrate the occasion at music mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' restaurant, Justin's. An afterparty was held at one of his suburban stash houses, nicknamed the White House. The year 2003 would not only mark the beginning of BMF "going public", it would also usher in the beginning of serious and permanent scrutiny by several law enforcement agencies.
On January 26, 2003, $723,790 in cash was confiscated by a Texas Highway Patrolman during a traffic stop in Gray County, Texas from BMF couriers and Detroit residents Brian Ronell Garnett and Kim Vernell Williams. Both were arrested on money laundering charges. On August 14, 2003, Oxford County, Arkansas police seized 27 kilos from a BMF member. The Atlanta investigation into BMF in the city of Atlanta was triggered by an attempted robbery at the home of the organization's CFO, William "Doc" Marshall. One of two intruders was shot after an exchange of gunfire at Marshall's townhouse on September 7. Local police who arrived at the scene recovered a kilo of cocaine and reported an empty walk-in safe on the premises.
On October 28, a law enforcement coalition comprised of the DEA, IRS and the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Michigan formed an initiative named Operation Motor City Mafia - a task force solely devoted to bringing down BMF.
The very next month Demetrius' anonymity was permanently destroyed when his public reputation as a world-class partier was forever eclipsed by his reputation to the public and law enforcement alike as a gangster. On the night of November 11, while partying at Atlanta's Club Chaos, Demetrius became involved in an altercation with Sean "Puffy" Combs' former bodyguard Anthony "Wolf" Jones.* Reportedly, Jones was escorted from the premises following a shouting match with Demetrius over an ex-girlfriend of Jones' and instead of leaving, he and long-time associate Lamont "Riz" Girdy waited for the BMF leader in the parking lot, reportedly while leaning on Demetrius' Cadillac. Upon exiting the club, Demetrius and BMF member Ameen "Bull" Hight, a Compton, California native whom Demetrius recruited to BMF in 1999, were allegedly confronted by Jones and Girdy. In the ensuing gunfire, Hight was shot in the foot while Demetrius was shot in the buttocks. Girdy was shot dead and Jones died from gunshots to the chest after being rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital. An anonymous witness (who was never named and never testified) told police that she saw Demetrius fire a minimum of seven shots. Law enforcement recovered 24 spent shell casings after arriving at the scene. Both Demetrius and Hight (who was never charged in the shooting) were confronted by police that morning at Fulton Regional Hospital and Demetrius was charged with two counts of murder. Demetrius was granted bond on the condition that he submit to house arrest, which lasted six months. Though the charges were eventually dropped due to lack of evidence, Demetrius and the shooting itself received extensive media coverage. The fallout from the incident also included a change in city policy as Atlanta nightclubs would subsequently be mandated to close by 2 am as opposed to 4 am. Not insignificantly, the DEA-led dismantling of the PA Boys neared it's completion six days after the shooting when eight of the organization's leaders were indicted on November 17, 2003.
The most significant consequence of the shooting and subsequent police scrutiny resulted in a permanent rift between the Flenory brothers that likewise caused a schism inside BMF. Terry, who had always been relatively low-key revealed on police wiretaps that he blamed Demetrius for the stepped-up law enforcement focus on the organization and felt that his high-profile and flamboyant lifestyle threatened the organization and the two brothers' freedom. Following the 2003 shootout, BMF was effectively split into two halves headed by each of the brothers. Each half was now comprised of a separate and distinct group of members and while each brother maintained authority over the organization as a whole, very few BMF employees would continue to work with and report to both Flenorys.
The following year, the law enforcement investigation into BMF intensified and Demetrius' increased his public profile even further. In March, Demetrius made his first major foray into legitimizing his organization by entering the music business. He incorporated a hip hop music label, BMF Entertainment, and founded The Juice - a lifestyle and music magazine. The first issue boasted dual covers - one of it's executive editor (Demetrius himself) and another of then-up-and-coming rapper and close BMF associate, Young Jeezy. BMF Entertainment focused on the career of it's sole artist, rapper Barima "Bleu DaVinci" McKnight. McKnight's promotion included high-priced music videos and songs featuring high-profile rap artists (and personal friends of Demetrius) including Fabolous and Young Jeezy, both of whom received promotion in Atlanta early in their careers from BMF. Reportedly, this promotion included paying DJs to play Young Jeezy's songs in nightclubs. During this period, Demetrius commissioned billboards in Atlanta which read, "The World is BMF's."
Throughout March and April, state troopers made several traffic stops resulting in the seizure of substantial amounts of cash and narcotics linked to BMF. One such stop outside of St. Louis yielded over 100 kilos of cocaine. Another stop in Fenton, Missouri turned up over $500,000 dollars in cash.
Tremayne "Kiki" Graham, BMF associate and son-in-law (at the time) of Atlanta's first female African-American mayor, Shirley Franklin, was arrested in April on drug trafficking charges.
That spring, another law enforcement joint task force devoted to BMF was formed including the participation of the DEA, ATF, HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program), APD (Atlanta Police Department) and the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. Around this time, federal agents were granted warrants to wiretap members of the organization for the first time. While Demetrius was never caught on a wiretap, over 1,000 of Terry's calls were eventually intercepted.
In June, Demetrius celebrated his 36th birthday at Atlanta's 25,000 sq ft "megaclub", Compound. The ostentatious party included $100,000 worth of rented wildlife including lions, zebras and an elephant.
The year 2004 brought more shootings linked to BMF members as well. On July 25, Demetrius' third-in-command, Fleming "Ill" Daniels was implicated in another club shooting in which he allegedly murdered Rashannibal "Prince" Drummond in the parking lot of Atlanta nightclub, The Velvet Room. Three days later, $199,690 in cash was confiscated from Martez Jackson by Atlanta police. On September 5, a federal witness, Ulysses "Hack" Hackett and his girlfriend were shot to death in her apartment (the same apartment complex shared by another girlfriend of a BMF member) by gunmen allegedly linked to BMF. The murders are alleged to have been ordered to prevent Hackett from testifying against his co-defendants (all BMF associates) in a federal drug conspiracy case.
October 15 - 17, two separate shootings were attributed to high-ranking BMF members Omari "O-Dog" McCree and Jeffery Leahr. The two were alleged to have perpetrated shootings at strip club, Jazzy T's and nightclub, The Atrium.
In October, Demetrius himself, along with others, including a former bodyguard for rap superstar and entertainment mogul Jay-Z named Hamza Hewitt, was arrested again on minor charges at a police checkpoint established as a result of the recent rash of shootings in Atlanta.
BMF garnered even more headlines in 2005 owing to various incidents involving celebrities. On May 10, then-upcoming rapper Radric "Gucci Mane" Davis shot and killed a home invader in Decatur, GA and was later charged with murder. The shooting victim was one of five perpetrators alleged by Davis' attorneys to have been acting on orders from BMF to rob and/or kill the rapper as part of an ongoing war of words between Davis and fellow rapper, BMF associate Jay "Young Jeezy" Jenkins. Because of the perpetrators' alleged connection to BMF, Davis was questioned by the ATF, DEA and FBI. Davis was the only person involved in the incident to ever be arrested and formally accused of a crime, the charges for which were eventually dropped.
Another high-profile incident took place at a birthday party for the father of R&B superstar Bobby Brown. The party, held May 22 at music mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs' Atlanta restaurant Justin's, was interrupted when two of Brown's nephews, including Shayne Brown, were assaulted and stabbed with an ice pick by two men linked to BMF following a verbal altercation. The two men were reported fleeing the scene in the company of rap superstar Fabolous. The charges were dropped on one of the suspects, Cleveland David Hall, less than a month after his arrest when witnesses, including members of the Brown family, refused to cooperate with police. The other suspect, alleged BMF member Marque "Baby Bleu" Dixson (widely, yet incorrectly believed to be Barima "Bleu DaVinci" McKnight's brother), was shot to death in an unrelated incident in March of 2006.
Terry Flenory, Rapper Loon and Big Meech
On July 11, Terry Flenory was arrested in Illinois after a traffic stop and was found in possession of approximately $4 million in jewelry. Terry was personally delivering the jewelry to Young Jeezy to use in a photo shoot. The jewelry in question was ultimately used to launch a money laundering investigation into Terry, music producer Damon Thomas and jeweler to the stars - Jacob "Jacob the Jeweler" Arabo. Damon Thomas happened to comprise one half of the production duo The Underdogs. He also happened to be reality TV star Kim Kardashian's first husband. The two were married when Kardashian was 19 and lasted from 2000 to 2003.
Federal agencies and local law enforcement made numerous, sweeping arrests of members of BMF near the close of 2005 as they brought the investigation phase of Operation Motor City Mafia to an end. Following lengthy video surveillance and wiretap investigations, high-ranking BMF member Omari "O-Dog" McCree became the first member of the organization to be prosecuted under the wide-ranging federal case against the group when he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges on August 9, 2005. Though McCree had initially cooperated with investigators, including describing the scope and history of the organization, he refused to continue providing assistance to law enforcement and as a result was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Both Flenory brothers were apprehended in October. On October 20, Demetrius was tracked and arrested in a rented $1.2 million-dollar mansion located in a suburb in Frisco, Texas outside of Dallas. On October 27, Terry was arrested alongside other BMF associates in a private home in a suburb outside of St. Louis, Missouri. Demetrius was granted $100,000 bond with the strict stipulation that he remain under house arrest until trial in the custody of his mother, Lucille.
As the number of arrests of BMF members and associates mounted it became clear just how wide the scope of the investigation against BMF was and apparently just how large and widespread the organization itself was. According to an October 28, 2005 press release by the DEA the investigation against BMF involved several law enforcement agencies, including: the United States Marshals Service; ATF; Michigan State Police; Fulton County, GA District Attorney's Office; Atlanta Police Department; Hollywood, FL Police Department and Muscogee County, GA Sheriff's Office. The DEA also revealed the assistance of several U.S. Attorney's Offices, including: Middle District of Georgia; Central District of California; Middle, Southern, and Northern Districts of Florida; Southern District of New York; Eastern District of North Carolina; Eastern District of Missouri; District of South Carolina; and Western District of Kentucky.
By late October, 47 BMF members and associates had been arrested and 635 kilos of cocaine and $14 million in cash and assets linked to the organization had been seized.
On February 1, 2006 high-ranking BMF member Jeffery Leahr was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to cocaine trafficking. His girlfriend, Courtney Williams (who lived in the same apartment complex as Misty Carter - who was murdered at home along with her boyfriend Ulysses "Hack" Hackett in 2004), was sentenced to 5 years after pleading guilty to conspiring to traffic cocaine.
Most of the members of the uppermost levels of BMF went to trial in 2007. In April both Demetrius Flenory's second-in-command, Chad "J Bo" Brown and then-mayor of Atlanta, Shirley Franklin's son-in-law, Tremayne "Kiki" Graham faced trial. Graham was sentenced to life in federal prison for cocaine trafficking and Brown received a lighter sentence as part of an agreement with prosecutors after pleading guilty to cocaine trafficking and money laundering charges. In October, BMF member Ameen "Bull" Hight was indicted on drug charges for which he was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty. By 2007, the federal indictment against BMF included 150 members of the organization, however only Demetrius and Terry Flenory were charged under the CCE (Continuing Criminal Enterprise) statute which can carry a life sentence.
The U.S. government alleged that BMF generated revenue upwards of $270 million throughout it's existence and ordered forfeiture of more than 30 pieces of jewelry, 13 residences, 35 vehicles, and property located in Detroit, Canton, Southfield, Ecorse, Romulus, Lithonia, Georgia and Los Angeles, California. Demetrius reportedly owned the only white Maybach 62, the ultra-luxury sedan brand owned by Mercedes priced at $430,000, in the U.S. at the time, which he'd had shipped from Saudi Arabia.
Owing to the brothers' years-long estrangement and distinctly different methods of conducting business, they faced different charges. Demetrius was indicted on 6 counts: CCE, 4 counts of cocaine conspiracy or possession and 1 count of money laundering. Terry was indicted on 11 counts: CCE, 6 counts of cocaine conspiracy or possession, 3 counts of using a cell phone in violation of the federal Controlled Substance Act and 1 count of money laundering. As he was never caught on a federal wiretap and prosecutors didn't have many witnesses against him, Demetrius had a stronger case than Terry's. However, Demetrius and his defense team decided that a trial would prove too risky as a conviction meant a mandatory life sentence.
On November 29, 2007 Demetrius pleaded guilty to leading a criminal enterprise before the United States District Court in Detroit. In September 2008, both Flenory brothers received 30 year sentences in federal prison for heading a drug trafficking organization under the CCE statute. Demetrius Flenory is serving his sentence at USP Atlanta (United States Penitentiary, Atlanta), a medium-security federal facility in Atlanta, Georgia and is scheduled for release on February 25, 2032. Terry Flenory is serving his sentence at FCI Pollock (Federal Correctional Institution, Pollock), a medium-security federal facility in Pollock, Louisiana and is scheduled for release on December 14, 2031. 2008 marked the first time that either brother served time in prison, after drug trafficking careers that spanned 20 years.
Several celebrities have been indirectly connected to BMF through their friendships and business dealings with members of the organization. Rappers Young Jeezy, Fabolous, and T.I. have all reportedly benefited from heavy promotion early in their careers by Demetrius Flenory and his organization. Rapper Gucci Mane's attorneys have alleged that he was targeted for assault and attempted murder in 2005 by BMF stemming from a rap battle and business dispute over song rights with Young Jeezy. Two of R&B superstar Bobby Brown's nephews were allegedly stabbed and assaulted by BMF members at a family birthday party at which the singer was present. Basketball hall-of-famers Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were even questioned as part of a federal investigation into their dealings with BMF associate Tremayne "Kiki" Graham and NFL star Adam "Pacman" Jones financed the legal defense of high-ranking BMF member Fleming "Ill" Daniels during his drug trafficking trial. Celebrity jeweler Jacob "Jacob the Jeweler" Arabo was linked more directly to BMF when he was indicted along with several others in 2006.
By the time he was indicted the Uzbekistan immigrant publicly known as Jacob the Jeweler had amassed a million dollar fortune and established himself as the preeminent jeweler to the hip-hop industry. His clients included a who's who of Hollywood, sports and rap royalty including: Jay-Z, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paris Hilton, Jennifer Lopez, Allen Iverson, Naomi Campbell, Kanye West, Bono, LL Cool J, 50 Cent, Shaquille O'neal, Elton John, Busta Rhymes, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, Fat Joe, Ludacris, Ja Rule, Missy Elliott, Ashanti, Christy Turlington, Kimora Lee Simmons, Pharrell Williams, Fabolous, Slick Rick and his first famous client, Christopher "Biggie" Wallace. Arabo's trademark were diamond-encrusted "Five Time Zone" watches typically referred to as "Jacobs" that typically fetched from $5500 to $1 million. Arabo also holds the distinction of having been mentioned in over 40 hip hop songs. Arabo designed and sold several of the diamond-encrusted pendants to BMF which displayed the organization's abbreviated name. The jeweler was eventually accused of conspiring with Terry Flenory to launder drug cash and deceive the IRS so that the younger Flenory could purchase high-end jewelry for himself and other BMF members without attracting federal attention. After being arrested at his Manhattan store by DEA, NYPD and New York state police on June 15, 2006 Arabo was charged with conspiracy and money laundering. In June 2008, after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges Arabo was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, fined $50,000 and ordered to forfeit $2 million to the U.S. government. He was released in April 2010.
The federal investigation revealed that BMF employed the use of several suburban mansions as stash houses at which multi-kilogram amounts of cocaine and significant sums of cash were held before being distributed later. The properties, which were assigned nicknames by the organization were located in affluent neighborhoods (typically gated communities) so as to restrict the amount of traffic near the houses and severely hinder any potential law enforcement surveillance on them. Three such homes were located in Georgia: The White House (officially owned by Terry's long-time girlfriend Tonesa Welch), located in the Belair Estates neighborhood of Lithonia, about 20 miles outside of Atlanta; The Gate, located in Buckhead; The Elevator, so named because it had it's own glass elevator; and The Horse Ranch.
Terry Flenory's long-time girlfriend, Tonesa Welch was sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering in 2008. She was released in 2011.
On March 27, 2008, BMF member Deandre Woolfolk was arrested during a sweeping drug raid by police in Detroit. In 2009, Woolfolk, along with BMF members Darnell Cooley and Eiland Johnson were each charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder stemming from a $50,000 murder-for-hire killing of a witness to another murder.
In 2012, Randy Csehy, former prosecutor for the Fulton County, Georgia D.A.'s office was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and ecstasy and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felon. Csehy represented the state in the case against the Flenorys and BMF. On May 5, 2020, Terry was released from a Kentucky federal prison and granted permission to serve the remainder of his sentence on house arrest in an effort to avoid contracting COVID-19, which had killed 40 federal inmates and infected 2,300 inmates and staff members. Terry's release date is August 17, 2025. On April 22, 2020, Demetrius submitted a similar request for compassionate release from the Oregon facility in which he was detained through Birmingham attorney Wade Fink. However, U.S. District Judge David Lawson denied the application pending further review. Prosecutors, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison argued against the elder Flenory's release, citing various prison infractions, including: drug use; and possessing a cell phone and an illegal razor blade, resulting in his temporary placement in solitary confinement.
After initially being scheduled for release on October 31, 2031, Demetrius earned his GED and was subsequently granted a sentence reduction in 2020. On October 16, 2024, his attorney, Brittany K. Barnett, revealed that her client had been transferred to a residential reentry facility -- or halfway house -- in Miami, Florida. Flenory's sentence will end on January 27, 2026 and he is scheduled to remain under supervision restrictions until 2029.
Big Meech and Slim Thugg
Barima "Bleu DaVinci" McKnight, Big Meech and Bun B.
Meech's favorite car, a Silver Lamborghini Gallardo
Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and Trina
BMF New Year's - Midnight, January 1, 2005
Terry "Southwest T" Flenory
BMF stash house nicknamed Space Mountain
Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Atlanta restaurant, Justin's
Lucille Flenory
Demetrius Flenory with his sister, Nicole
BMF member Fleming "Ill" Daniels
BMF Chief Financial Officer William "Doc" Marshall
BMF memberAmeen "Bull" Hight (center, white t-shirt)
Anthony "Wolf" Jones, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs
and Combs' former girlfriend, Kim Porter
BMF Interview feat. Big Meech and Bleu DaVinci
Young Jeezy feat. Bun B - Over Here (Omari "O-Dog" McCree cameo)
Bleu DaVinci feat. Fabolous and Young Jeezy - Streets on Lock
Rick Ross feat. Jay-Z and Young Jeezy - Hustlin' (Remix)
Rick Ross feat. Styles P. - BMF
*Anthony "Wolf" Jones was no stranger to law enforcement nor nightclub scuffles. While working as a bodyguard for music mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs, Wolf was investigated by the NYPD for his role in the December 27, 1999 shooting at a club in New York that resulted in the attempted murder conviction of rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow. Immediately following Shyne opening fire inside the now-defunct Club New York, Jones, Shyne, Combs and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez fled the scene. Their vehicle was pulled over by police soon after and both Jones and Combs were charged with possessing an illegal firearm. Allegedly, Jones and Combs had offered a substantial amount of money to Combs' driver, Wardel Fenderson, to claim the gun as his own. Both Combs and Jones, defended by famed defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, were eventually acquitted of bribery and weapon charges.
Jones was also alleged to have been the perpetrator of the September 23, 1995 murder of Jai Hassan-Jamal "Big Jake" Robles - a member of the MOB Piru street gang and personal friend of former Death Row Records CEO, Suge Knight. Robles was shot twice in the stomach and once in the back at a birthday party for music impresario Jermaine Dupri at the Platinum Club in midtown Atlanta, GA. He died in the hospital two weeks later. No one was ever charged in the shooting.
