Cleveland Gang Trio Convicted of RICO Murder and Kidnapping

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A federal jury convicted three members of the Fully Blooded Felons, a violent Cleveland street gang, of racketeering murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking and firearms offenses after a three-week trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced on November 5, 2026.

Read the Justice Department release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/cleveland-gang-members-convicted-racketeering-murder-kidnapping-drug-trafficking-and

The Commission, The Capos, The Code of Silence

Raven Mullins, 37, Malik Brooks, 28, and Jayon Florence, 23, all of Cleveland, Ohio, were members and associates of the Fully Blooded Felons gang, the release stated.

The gang has existed in Ohio since approximately 2012, operating primarily out of the east side of Cleveland, as well as Akron, Youngstown, and elsewhere, the release stated. It is also entrenched in the Ohio prison system, the release stated.

Mullins oversaw the "Commission," the governing body of the Fully Blooded Felons, which maintained the structure and organization of the criminal enterprise through physical discipline and determined which illicit means the organization would use to make money, the release stated.

The Commission was made up of a Head Commissioner and 10 subordinate Commissioners, the release stated. Beneath the Commissioners were "Capos," who led up to 25 Fully Blooded Felons members under their command, the release stated.

Members were required to abide by "omerta," or the code of silence, the release stated. They were also required to memorize and recite at meetings the "Fully Five," a set of rules that require following all orders issued by the Commission, loyalty to fellow members, and being respectful to Capos, the release stated.

"The Fully Blooded Felons criminal network has been identified as Cleveland's most significant gang threat," Special Agent in Charge Joshua DelManzo of FBI Cleveland stated.

The Kidnapping, The Murder, The Stolen Kia

Evidence proved that the defendants, along with co-defendants who earlier pleaded guilty, kidnapped and murdered a victim after the gang suspected that she was romantically involved with and sharing information with a rival gang member, the release stated.

On or about July 28, 2022, as punishment for the victim's suspected disloyalty to the gang, Fully Blooded Felons members held her in an apartment where Mullins ordered gang members, including Brooks and Florence, to repeatedly punch and choke her, the release stated.

The next day, while still holding her captive and upon Mullins' approval, Brooks and Florence along with other gang members drove her to an area on the west side of Cleveland where they fatally shot her 19 times, leaving her body in the front seat of a stolen Kia Optima, the release stated.

From June 30 to July 5, 2022, Mullins and other Fully Blooded Felons members kidnapped and assaulted a 22-year-old woman, the release stated. The victim, who was eventually released, had previously given a statement to police implicating a Fully Blooded Felons member in a robbery, the release stated.

On September 12, 2023, Mullins and two other Fully Blooded Felons members robbed and murdered a second victim on the west side of Cleveland, the release stated. Evidence at trial included a knife sheath carrying Mullins' DNA found at the scene, the release stated.

The prosecution also introduced evidence showing that Brooks shot two rival gang members on the west side of Cleveland on July 18 and 20, 2022, the release stated.

Fully Blooded Felons members used two different stash houses at a local apartment complex, the release stated. During the execution of two search warrants, law enforcement recovered over 300 grams of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine as well as seven firearms, the release stated.

The Verdicts, The Penalties, The Prosecution

The defendants face maximum penalties of life in prison, the release stated. Their sentencing date has not yet been set by the court, the release stated.

As of November 5, 2026, 25 Fully Blooded Felons members have been charged and convicted of federal charges in relation to this indictment for crimes including RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, and various firearms and drug-related offenses, the release stated.

The case is the result of a yearslong investigation conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Cleveland Division of Police, ATF, and DEA, the release stated. The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio Highway Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation, the release stated.

"This extremely violent gang was a true blot on the city of Cleveland," Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division stated. "The Criminal Division's work put a stop to the violence that this gang rained down on Ohio communities to protect law-abiding citizens from harm."

"These verdicts send a clear message: when gang members make it their business to hurt people and terrorize our communities, we make it our business to lock them in a cage far from home," U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio stated.

The defendants face maximum penalties of life in prison, and their sentencing dates have not yet been set by the court, the release stated.

Sources

U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio, "Cleveland Gang Members Convicted of Racketeering, Murder, Kidnapping, Drug Trafficking, and Firearms Offenses," November 5, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/cleveland-gang-members-convicted-racketeering-murder-kidnapping-drug-trafficking-and