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Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Michigan

For Immediate Release

Friday, January 12, 2018
Matthew Schneider
, United States Attorney

Rollin' 60 Crips Gang Leaders Sentenced for Racketeering Charges

The two leaders of the Detroit branch of the Rollin 60s Crips street gang were sentenced this morning for their roles in gang-related murders, shootings, and drug distribution.  Jerome Hamilton and Darriyon Mills’s sentences follow their guilty pleas to RICO conspiracy and firearm charges and are the result of the collaborative efforts of law enforcement and the community to reduce homicide and other violent crime under the Detroit One program, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider.

Joining in the announcement was Paul Vanderplow, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chief James Craig of the Detroit Police Department.

The Court sentenced leader, Jerome Hamilton, 26, of Detroit, to 30 years in prison. Hamilton previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death.  Hamilton took responsibility for, amongst other racketeering activity, issuing a “green light” to murder rival gang members of the Playboy Gangster Crips in 2011, which resulted in a non-fatal shooting of a rival gang member; a firebombing of rival Blood gang member’s house; and the August 8, 2011 homicide of Kionte Atkins during a drive-by shooting.  Hamilton also admitted to being involved in the distribution of marijuana and illegal prescription pills as part of his membership with the Rollin 60s Crips.  

Hamilton’s second-in-command, Darriyon Mills, 22, of Detroit, was sentenced to 24 years in prison. Mills previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Mills committed armed robberies, carjackings, and attempted multiple murders. He also trafficked drugs for the gang and in this way funded the Rollin 60s and their crimes. 

According to the indictment, the Rollin’ 60s Crips is a national street gang founded in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1970s.  In approximately 2006, Jerome Hamilton started a Detroit set of the Rollin 60s, which now boasts approximately 150 members and who operated primarily on the west side of Detroit in the vicinity of Seven Mile and Tracey.  The Rollin 60s Detroit chapter is a violent organization responsible for numerous assaults, robberies, carjackings and the unlawful possession and trafficking of firearms and narcotics in and around the Detroit metropolitan area over the last nine years.  The gang uses violence as a means of retribution for acts done by rival gang members, to intimidate witnesses, and as a means for individuals to maintain or advance their position within the gang. 

United States Attorney Matthew Schneider stated, “This office is making it a top priority to pursue violent criminals and remove them from our streets.  All Michigan residents deserve safety and we will relentlessly prosecute gang members who commit violence.”

“Today’s sentence sends a clear message that we will not tolerate the senseless violence committed by criminal gangs,” said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Paul Vanderplow.  “ATF stands committed to working with our law enforcement partners to end the gang violence that plaques our neighborhoods.  Every citizen has the right to feel safe in their neighborhoods.”

In addition to Hamilton and Mills, twelve other Rollin 60 Crips members pleaded guilty or were convicted after trial of various racketeering or firearm charges.

The arrests and convictions in this case are, in part, the result of the Detroit One Initiative, a collaborative effort between law enforcement and the community to reduce homicide and other violent crime in Detroit.  The case was investigated by the ATF’s Comprehensive Violence Reduction Program, which includes representatives of the Detroit Police, Michigan State Police, and Michigan Department of Corrections, in coordination with the FBI Violent Crime Task Force, and Detroit Police Department.  

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eaton Brown, Shane Cralle, and Michael Heesters.

Detroit Field Division