Baltimore BGF Gang Member Sentenced To 38 Years In Federal Prison For Racketeering Conspiracy Charge, Including Murder
Baltimore, Maryland – On September 17, 2024, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced David Warren, a/k/a “Meshawn,” age 32, of Baltimore to 467 months in federal prison, followed by 5years of supervised release, for conspiring to participate in a violent racketeering enterprise known as the Black Guerilla Family (“BGF”) gang.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his plea agreement and other court documents, beginning in 2015 Warren was a member and associate of the BGF, also known as “Jamaa,” and participated in the BGF criminal enterprise, including a murder and a drug distribution conspiracy; further, Warren was a “hit man” accepting money in exchange for murdering others. BGF is a nationwide gang which began operating in prisons and is now involved in criminal activity, including murder, murder-for-hire, robbery, extortion, drug trafficking, obstruction of justice and witness intimidation, in cities throughout the United States, including Baltimore and throughout Maryland.
As detailed in his plea agreement, in May 2015, at the direction of a BGF leader, Warren and others fired upon a group of rivals who were attending a candlelight vigil for a deceased rival in east Baltimore. One man was shot during the attack and survived. A year later in May 2016, again at the behest of a BGF leader, Warren and a co-conspirator attempted to murder another man/rival? and received a portion of an $8,000 payment in exchange for the attempt. Two weeks later, on Memorial Day weekend, Warrant attempted to murder a rival drug dealer at a holiday barbeque in north Baltimore. The man and four others were shot and survived but all sustained injuries.
In or about 2018, Warren became a hit man for co-defendant Davante Harrison, a/k/a “YGG Tay.” Between February and August 2018, Warren and others targeted three of Harrison’s rivals. On April 4, 2018, Warren and co-conspirators sought to locate and murder one of Harrison’s rivals at a residence of Chanette Neal and Justice Allen, the sister and mother of the rival. Not finding the rival at the residence, Warren and co-conspirators murdered Neal and Allen using a .357 caliber handgun. Later that day, Warren messaged a female associate and wrote that he was “waiting on the bag” meaning payment for the murder.
Additionally, on August 7, 2018 Warren and two co-conspirators, including co-defendant Wayne Prince, attempted to murder another rival of Harrison at a home that the rival owned and was having renovated. A construction crew was on site at the time. During the attempted murder, Prince and a co-conspirator shot and killed one of the construction workers, Bryan McKemy, using a .40 caliber handgun. They also shot a second construction worker in the head, but that person survived the attack. Afterwards, Warren messaged another that he was “waiting on a bag” indicating again that he anticipated being paid for the murder.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level 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 against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Barron commended the ATF, the FBI, the Baltimore City Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ari D. Evans, Patricia C. McLane, and Kim Y. Hagan who are prosecuting the case.