CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a leader of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang of participating in a criminal organization that committed murders and other acts of violence while brutally protecting a drug-dealing operation on the West and Southwest Sides of Chicago.
Labar Spann, 43, of Chicago, was found guilty Monday on all four counts against him, including racketeering conspiracy, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and extortion. The jury found that Spann aka ‘Bro Man’ committed four murders in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner as part of the racketeering conspiracy, including the murders of Maximillion McDaniel on July 25, 2000, George King on April 8, 2003, Willie Woods on April 17, 2003, and Rudy Rangel on June 4, 2003.
The conviction is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin set sentencing for March 9, 2022.
The verdict was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Kristen De Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Illinois Secretary of State Police Department, Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Dunne, Timothy J. Storino, Kavitha J. Babu, and Megan DeMarco.
Authorities uncovered the racketeering activities of the Four Corner Hustlers through a lengthy investigation supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The Chicago FBI’s Safe Street Task Force, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), and ATF’s Chicago Crime Gun Strike Force also supported the investigation.
The Four Corner Hustlers operated primarily in the Chicago neighborhoods of West Garfield Park and Humboldt Park on the West Side, and in the former LeClaire Courts public housing development on the Southwest Side. According to evidence presented at the nearly eight-week trial in federal court in Chicago, the gang dealt drugs and robbed rival dealers, while using violence and intimidation to prevent victims and witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement. The gang engaged in numerous acts of violence, including multiple murders and armed robberies.
Spann was indicted in 2017 along with eight other members of the Four Corner Hustlers and two additional defendants. The other defendants pleaded guilty, and several have been sentenced to federal prison terms.
Spann was arrested when he fired a gun at a suburban gun shop, Midwest Sporting Goods in Lyons, and bragged about firing of the gun with a series of videos and photographs posted on Instagram. He pleaded guilty Thursday, June 8, 2017 when he was 38 years-old.
Spann, of the 800 block of North Francisco Street in Chicago, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a firearm (a Glock 19, model 19C, .9 mm caliber handgun) by a felon, three counts of obstruction of justice, and one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of 70 years in prison. U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp Jr. scheduled sentencing for Sept. 5, 2017.
The obstruction charges stemmed from Spann’s efforts to influence and impede a witness’s testimony before the federal grand jury that was investigating the incident at the firing range. The witness had initially stated truthfully to law enforcement that she accompanied Spann to the firing range and saw Spann load the gun and fire it, the plea agreement states. Soon thereafter, Spann communicated with the witness and others, intending to cause the witness to withhold truthful testimony from the grand jury.
When the witness was called before the grand jury on Jan. 29, 2015, she falsely testified that Spann did not shoot the gun at the range, the plea agreement states. In subsequent text messages between Spann and the witness, Spann asked if she could obtain the grand jury transcript of her testimony to give to him, the plea agreement states.
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