ST PAUL, Minn. — Three alleged members of the Minneapolis Blood street gang were found guilty on all counts Tuesday for their connection to violent crimes, including two murders, that prosecutors say benefited the gang.
Desean Solomon, Leontawan Holt and Michael Burrell were all found guilty of using a firearm in relation to a crime resulting in death, while Solomon was also found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, which is a charge known as RICO, used in organized crime cases.
"Today's verdict makes clear what we have been saying since May of 2023 — the Minneapolis Bloods constitute a criminal enterprise that inflicts serious harm on our community through violence, intimidation, drug trafficking, robbery, murder and assault," said U.S. Attorney Andy Luger. "By their verdict today, the jury found that this violent Minneapolis street gang falls squarely within the federal RICO statute, just as the traditional mafia did before them."
Prosecutors claimed Solomon, Holt and Burrell have been involved in the gang, in the territory centered around George Floyd Square at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. Luger said that the crimes were committed to "promote and enhance their standing in the Bloods and the reputation of the Bloods gang."
"The evidence the trial established that the enterprise that is the Bloods created and brutally enforced a clearly defined set of rules that govern all Bloods members, just like traditional organized crime," Luger said. "In this criminal enterprise, these rules supersede all criminal laws and social tenets, such as respect for human life and public safety."
In June 2020, Solomon and Burrell were accused of causing a bar fight at the 200 Club in north Minneapolis while confronting a man who testified against Burrell's brother, Myon, in his high-profile murder trial for the death of Tyesha Edwards.
A man was shot to death in his SUV afterwards outside the bar, and federal prosecutors say a photo shows Solomon firing the deadly shots. Solomon's attorney denies he was the shooter.
Then in April 2022, after a bar fight inside Williams Pub in Uptown, prosecutors say Holt shot a man on the sidewalk outside.
Holt and Burrell both claimed self-defense for their alleged roles in the crimes.
