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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Roscoe Abell, Emmanuel Keller and Jermer Lowery are accused of heading one of the most violent gangs in Charlotte, the Hidden Valley Kings.
"The people of Hidden Valley were essentially prisoners in their own home," said Kevin Zolot, the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case against the alleged gang members.
Prosecutors say Abell was the most senior member of the gang and Keller was one of its most violent, allegedly participating in a 2005 North Tryon Street shooting that resulted in the murder of Juan Lawrence.
Keller's grandmother, Mary Chisholm, was in the courtroom during sentencing and did not hear anything that would change her support.
"But was he a King though? Oh yeah, when they were children, but they outgrew that," she said. "He has a family, a baby and all."
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U.S. Attorney's Statement:
Prosecutors say the Kings ran the drug trade in the Hidden Valley neighborhood and resorted to force to collect taxes from rival dealers, even dividing up the community into zones where dealers could work.
The gang's leadership was busted in March 2007.
"The obvious message that it doesn't pay to be a gang member," Zolot said. "It doesn't pay to be a drug dealer. Eventually federal authorities will root out the gang members in our community."
Abell was the first of the alleged gang members who appeared in court on Tuesday. He had been indicted on several drug charges, including conspiracy to distribute base (crack) cocaine. He could have been sentenced to life in a federal prison had he been convicted on all counts.
In July, Abell entered into a plea agreement instead of taking his case to trial. He was sentenced to 20 years followed by 50 years of probation.
Keller was sentenced to 24 years on federal drug charges. He also faces state charges of murder for the North Tryon Street shooting.
Lowery was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Four other gang members were also sentenced to prison terms on Tuesday. Eleven more are scheduled to be sentenced by the end of the week. All of them have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and drug charges.
(NewsChannel 36 reporter Richard DeVayne contributed to this report.)
