GoodFellas gang: Federal judge sentences violent Atlanta criminals to prison
ATLANTA - A federal judge ordered several members of the violent GoodFellas street gang to prison this week following convictions for armed robbery, drug trafficking and a drive-by shooting that wounded two children in Atlanta.
Atlanta gang dismantled
What we know:
Five members of the Atlanta-based GoodFellas street gang have been sentenced to federal prison following a collaborative investigation by local and federal law enforcement. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg announced that the sentences target a criminal enterprise involved in drug trafficking, armed robbery and firearms offenses.
The gang primarily recruits from Atlanta neighborhoods, jails and state prisons. According to court information, the group funds its operations through drug trafficking, carjacking, fraud and weapons sales, using extreme violence to protect its territory.
Children shot at mailbox
What we know:
De'Andre Jackson, a 23-year-old Clarkston man known within the gang as "Gen," "Glock," and "Glizzy," was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years and six months in prison. Jackson pleaded guilty on March 9 to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
The conviction stems from a Jan. 17, 2021, ambush at an Atlanta apartment complex where gang members targeted a woman they deemed disloyal. Gunmen fired approximately 50 rounds as the woman and her 6-year-old son walked to a mailbox. The mother was shot more than six times, her son was shot three times—including in the abdomen and knee—and a 14-year-old bystander was shot in the ear. All three survived.
Assault and prison drones
What we know:
Trayvon Hawkins, a 27-year-old Atlanta man known as "Baby Cold World" and "Freeze," received a nine-year prison sentence Wednesday for a separate April 17, 2024, attack. Hawkins smashed a man in the head with a gun at an Atlanta home, joined two accomplices in beating the victim and stole a backpack filled with drugs.
A separate branch of the investigation brought down a prison smuggling operation. On Aug. 3, 2023, Daquan Cosby, 28, of Decatur, used a drone to drop contraband into Telfair State Prison before leading police on a vehicle chase. Officers found more than 500 grams of methamphetamine in the car and later recovered a kilogram of cocaine and 12 guns from Cosby's home. Cosby was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison.
Unsolved details remain
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed the identities or the legal status of the two additional males who helped Hawkins kick down the front door and assault the victim during the April 2024 robbery.
Investigators have also not released the names of the remaining GoodFellas gang members who participated in the 2021 apartment complex mass shooting alongside Jackson.
Upcoming court dates
What's next:
While co-conspirators Jerrell Rucker and Bentorrey Moore have already received sentences of 10 years and five years respectively, a sixth gang member awaits his fate.
Tavarus Beard, a convicted felon who pleaded guilty on Feb. 17 to conspiracy and drug charges, is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on July 13.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg of the Northern District of Georgia, who detailed the case details and sentences in an official department announcement, as well as statements provided by FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.