A 25-year-old member of an Ohio-based street gang was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison today after pleading guilty to racketeering, firearms, and fentanyl trafficking charges.
Jeffrey Lee, a Cleveland resident and self-admitted enforcer for the “Fully Blooded Felons” gang, was sentenced in federal court following a joint investigation by the FBI and local police. Court documents show Lee was deeply involved in the gang’s operations, which included running open-air drug markets and maintaining heavily armed stash houses.
According to federal prosecutors and court records, the Fully Blooded Felons have operated since roughly 2012. While their main base is on the east side of Cleveland, the enterprise also extends to Akron, Youngstown, and inside the Ohio prison system.
The gang relied on a highly structured hierarchy to run its illicit business. A governing body known as the “Commission” maintained internal discipline through physical force and dictated how the group made its money. Members were strictly required to follow a code of silence, known as “omerta,” and had to memorize a set of rules called the “Fully Five,” which mandated total obedience to the Commission. Failing to recite the rules resulted in immediate punishment.
Law enforcement cracked down on the group’s logistics by targeting two specific stash houses located inside a Cleveland apartment complex, which sat directly adjacent to an open-air drug market run by the gang. During raids on the properties, investigators seized nearly three-quarters of a pound of fentanyl, alongside quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and seven firearms.
Lee’s direct involvement was laid out during his plea hearing. Investigators intercepted text messages where Lee asked a fellow gang member about the location of a hidden .380 caliber handgun. Furthermore, Lee was physically present inside one of the stash houses when police executed a search warrant, uncovering over a half-pound of fentanyl, packing materials, and additional street drugs.
“This defendant, now a fully convicted and sentenced felon, will spend the next 12 years in prison because of his drug dealing and firearm crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The long sentence handed down by the court underscores the danger that drugs and guns bring to a community, and the seriousness of crimes like this. The Criminal Division will continue to seek lengthy sentences for gang members who commit drug and gun crimes.”
Federal and local officials emphasized that the conviction was the result of a coordinated, long-term effort to disrupt the gang’s footprint in northern Ohio.
“We will not tolerate violent drug traffickers like Mr. Lee who devastate our communities and hurt people with the drugs they peddle,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We want to acknowledge the investigators with the Cleveland FBI and the Cleveland Division of Police for their successful efforts which helped our prosecutors put this dangerous criminal behind bars.”
Special Agent in Charge Joshua DelManzo of the FBI Cleveland Field Office stated that the agency remains focused on dismantling the rest of the group’s network.
“We are steadfast in our resolve to bring justice to the families whose loved ones have been impacted by the actions of Jeffrey Lee and the Fully Blooded Felons,” DelManzo said. “For too long, these gang members have poisoned our communities through their illicit drug, gun, and criminal activities. This case and subsequent sentencing highlights the power of partnership, combining federal and local resources to identify gang members and drug traffickers leading to well-investigated cases. The FBI and its partners will continue to aggressively investigate individuals to dismantle their criminal network and eradicate violence and crime from our neighborhoods.”
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