Steven J.R. Blackwell, a discreet and up and coming young drug kingpin before a 2008 kidnapping of two of his younger brothers brought him to public attention, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, followed by five year’s of supervised release, for his part in a 6-year conspiracy to distribute heroin. “Local, state...
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The recent heroin-trafficking indictment of alleged members of the Black Guerrilla Family (BGF) prison gang in Baltimore got some serious drill-down treatment May 1 by monthly trade publication Youth Today, which is published in Washington, D.C. by the American Youth Work Center. Youth Today’s target audience is people working with children and youth, and...
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The Black Guerrilla Family (BGF) prison gang’s alleged drug-dealing and violence, as described in court documents released as more than a dozen accused members were arrested on Apr. 12, are typical of Baltimore’s crime scene. What’s less prosaic about the BGF cases—including last year’s charges, when 25 other alleged members, many of them inmates,...
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Veteran Baltimore Police Department detective Mark Lunsford pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Baltimore yesterday, admitting that he stole funds intended for paying informants, stole a diamond watch and other items from suspects in his investigations, and lied in sworn documents. Lunsford was assigned to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task force. Under...
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There’s an intriguing story in today’s Washington Times about State Department foreign service officer Reginald Eugene Hopson, who was stripped of his top-secret security clearance late last year and questioned by federal investigators after it was discovered that he was storing classified documents—including a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration file and documents relating to intelligence...
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Baltimore bail bondsman Milton Tillman Jr. and his son, Milton “Moe” Tillman III were brought handcuffed into U.S. District Judge Susan K. Guavey’s courtroom 7C at 4:25 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day. Tillman Jr.’s ex-wife, Sandra, and sister, Patricia K. Brown, were among those looking on. At 5:08 the pair walked out free, Milton...
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Milton Tillman Jr. | Image by Police Booking Photo According to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorneys Office, politically connected ex-con Milton Tillman Jr. and his son, Milton “Moe” Tillman III, were both federally indicted on conspiracy charges that involved their bail-bonds businesses. The release says the indictment, which was filed under...
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On March 8 the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Maryland announced that Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced former federal fugitive Shawn Green to 12 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute 330 pounds of cocaine. In December, Green pled guilty to charges of drug dealing and being part of the conspiracy....
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More than a week before Maryland correctional officer (CO) Shanika Johnson was charged on Feb. 21 for bringing pot and cell phones into a Baltimore prison, another CO was charged for a similar offense at the maximum-security Western Correctional Institution (WCI) in Cumberland. In the Western Maryland case, the defendant—27-year-old Justin Wayne Smith—”admitted to...
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Awareness of suspected corruption among Baltimore’s prison guards grew on early Sunday morning, with the arrest of 20-year-old correctional officer Shanika Johnson after she was searched as she entered the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC). According to court records in the case, when Johnson attempted to enter the facility, her “bag was searched by...
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Robert Simels, the New York criminal-defense lawyer who for decades represented some of Baltimore’s most notorious drug-world defendants, won’t be using his Water Street condominium in downtown Baltimore anytime soon. In early January, he began serving a 14-year prison sentence for intimidating witnesses on behalf of one of his clients, Shaheed “Roger” Khan, a...
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This morning Shawn Michael Green, a former federal fugitive accused by the feds of drug trafficking and money laundering, pleaded guilty to drug dealing and being involved in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine. The plea agreement also outlines Green’s involvement in a fraud scheme, along with his mother Yolanda Crawley, in which the two...
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OC Alternatives Sizzlin’ Summer Calendar: Assateague Island National Seashore, North Point State Park, Rehoboth Beach, and more 5/15/2013
Real-Life Embarassing Sex Stories Feature: Submitted by City Paper readers 2/13/2013
Murder Ink Murder Ink: Murders this Week: 5; Murders this Year: 77 By Edward Ericson Jr. 5/15/2013
Crazy Horse Film: Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman puts his focus on Le Crazy Horse de Paris, the French cabaret By Lee Gardner 4/4/2012
How to Throw a Louisiana Style Crawfish Boil! Sizzlin’ Summer: Ordering 1. Figure out how many people you have attending. I usually do this by selling tickets for $25 each via Paypal. 2. Once you know how many people will be attending, you can figure out how many pounds of crawfish you need to order. The suggested a By Ben Claassen III 5/15/2013
Sizzlin’ Summer Sizzlin’ Summer: Summer in Baltimore is a sensory explosion, from the scent of Old Bay-smothered steamed crabs and the taste of marshmallow-topped chocolate snoballs to the smell of Ocean City salt water mixed with sunscreen and the vision of fireflies. 5/15/2013