Members of Ghostface Gangsters, including 3 founders, plead guilty to RICO charges

ATLANTA — The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that 25 people, including three of the seven pillars of the Ghostface Gangsters gang, have pleaded guilty to several Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) charges.

According to the release, the charges include conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, attempted murder, maiming, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, use of a firearm during a crime of violence, use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

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Channel 2 investigator reporter Mark Winne has extensively covered the gang and their alleged crimes for years.

GFG, a whites-only gang, was originally formed around 2000 in a Georgia county jail, the release stated. Within GFG, the seven founding members are known as “pillars.” All GFG members trace their gang “bloodline” directly back to one of the founding members. GFG formed both within and outside the Georgia state prisons.

Over the span of the year, three GFG founders charged in the case either have been convicted and will be or have been sentenced to the following:

• On August 25, 2022, Jeffrey Alan Bourassa, aka “JB,” “Babyface,” and “Kid,” 40, of Cobb County, a GFG founding pillar, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering. Sentencing will take place on Oct. 25.
• On July 22, 2021, David Gene Powell, aka “Davo,” 45, of Cobb County, a GFG founder, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering. On Feb. 23, Powell was sentenced to four years, one month in prison.
• On June 9, 2021, Joseph M. Propps Jr., aka “JP,” 44, of Smyrna, a GFG founder, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine. On October 5, 2021, Propps was sentenced to 10 years, one month in prison.

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Earlier during the case:

• On September 22, 2021, Victor Manuel DeJesus, aka “VG Vic,” 40, of Gwinnett County, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and using a firearm during a crime of violence. The charge came from a 2016 incident during which DeJesus violently carjacked a woman at gunpoint and threatened to kill her. DeJesus took the car and picked up co-defendant Christopher Marlow, aka “Loco,” 43, of Marietta, Georgia. The duo ran from a Cobb County deputy. DeJesus shot at the deputy from inside the car and threw the gun out of a window. DeJesus was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his involvement with the shooting and his role in the RICO conspiracy. Marlow was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempted murder and helping and aiding DeJesus’s firing a gun.
• On August 24, 2021, Richard Brian Sosebee, aka “Dirty,” 47, of Hall County, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and using a gun during a drug trafficking crime. The charge came from a 2016 incident during which Sosebee shot a victim in the eye during a drug deal gone bad, causing the victim permanent injury. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison on December 7, 2021.
• On July 22, 2021, Jennifer Barteski, 37, of Conyers, a GFG ally, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that crime. She was sentenced on November 18, 2021, to seven years in prison.
• Between February 19, 2019 and April 26, 2021, Cody Ryan Todd, 32, of Carroll County, Timothy Wilkins, aka “Dino,” 36, of Woodstock, Georgia, Jonathan Stubbs, 33, of Hamilton County, Tennessee, William J. Goodman, 28, of Paulding County, Brie Dewitt, 45, of Woodstock, Georgia, Toby James Ogletree, 47, of Spalding County, Georgia, and Kevin Scott Sosebee, aka “Sosa,” 31, of Cobb County pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy. Ogletree also pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Sosebee, who was sentenced to 24 years prison, also pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in connection with a 2017 incident where he shot four times at a Cobb County police officer. The officer was chasing Sosebee from inside a patrol car, swerved to avoid the bullets and avoided being hurt.
• Between August 10, 2018 and March 5, 2020, GFG members Mark Avon Lefevre, aka “Ghost,” 37, of Cobb County, Christopher Lasher, aka “Retta,” 39, of Marietta, Christopher Steven Jones, aka “Red,” 39, of Canton, Samantha Miller, 31, of Cobb County, Genevieve Waits, 40, of Cleveland, Ohio, Kayli Brewer, 31, of Cobb County, Brittany Nicole Jones, 35, of Rockdale County, and Hailey Sizemore, 32, of Douglas County pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and Xanax.
• On December 5, 2019, Christopher Jarman Davis, 32, of Walker County pleaded guilty to injuring another GFG member. While co-defendant Jonathan Stubbs held the other gang member at gunpoint, Davis used an axe to slice a GFG tattoo off that other gang member’s chest as a punishment for breaking gang rules.
• On October 4, 2018, Randall Arthur Lee Chumley, 40, of Jasper, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in aiding a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced on December 10, 2020, to over 13 years in prison.
• On April 20, 2018, Kelly Ray Shiflett, 34, of Rome, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

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