A federal jury on Tuesday convicted three members of the Minneapolis Bloods gang in connection with the murder of two rivals. The case is notable because jurors found one of the defendants guilty of racketeering. It’s part of a strategy by federal prosecutors to use a law written to target East Coast mob families to take down Twin Cities street gangs.

The lead defendant, Desean Solomon, is already serving a 36-year state prison sentence for the 2020 murder of a rival gang member Marcus Banks outside the 200 Club in north Minneapolis.

Now Solomon, 34, faces up to life in prison after jurors convicted him of racketeering and using a gun to commit murder for the benefit of the Bloods gang, which operates in south Minneapolis.

Standing trial with Solomon were Michael Burrell, 44, who was convicted along with Solomon in connection with Banks’ death. Jurors convicted Leontawan Holt, 26, in the 2022 killing of Rayshawn Brown outside a pub in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. Burrell and Holt were each found guilty of using a firearm to commit murder in aid of racketeering, which also carry life sentences.

Prosecutors in this case not only had to prove the underlying murder charges, they also had to convince jurors that the defendants committed the crimes for the benefit of a gang. Local and federal authorities have long worked together on gang cases because federal sentences are typically longer than state prison terms. 

Throughout her closing argument on Thursday morning, Assistant U.S. Attorney Esther Mignanelli Soria said the Bloods are a criminal enterprise because they have a rank structure, a common language, and strictly enforced rules. She said both of the killings stemmed from fights between members of rival groups.

At a news conference Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said the RICO law allows prosecutors to go after an entire criminal organization — not just its individual members. 

“One murder at a time is an important and an effective way to go after activity,” Luger said. “But when it’s part of an organization and part of a continuous pattern of crime, it’s better to do it under a statute that allows you to put it all together before one jury.” 

Luger noted that testimony from defendants who pleaded guilty and cooperated was key. Soria applauded the courage of victims who stepped forward to testify.

“It is a privilege to do this job,” Soria said. “And it is an even greater privilege to be entrusted with the stories of the members of the community and victims and to be able to amplify those stories in a trial like this one.”

Judge Susan Richard Nelson kept the names of the jurors in the trial anonymous to prosecutors, the defendants and their attorneys. Typically those parties know jurors’ names, even though members of the public know them only by number.

Juror safety is a major concern among federal judges and attorneys in Minnesota after a woman visited the home of a juror in the Feeding Our Future trial in June and attempted to bribe her with a Hallmark gift bag containing $120,000. 

Tom Plunkett, Solomon’s attorney, said in his closing that the government never proved that Solomon fired the shots that killed Banks. Karen Mohrlant, who represented Holt, downplayed the rigid gang structure that the government emphasized during the trial.

Mohrlant noted instances of members of rival gangs getting along and even being part of the same extended families. She also argued that Holt was acting in self defense and likely would have died had Rayshawn Brown’s gun not jammed during the Uptown incident. 

In his closing, Burrell’s attorney Steven Wolter, argued similarly that the government failed to prove that Burrell killed Marcus Banks and argued that the killing was a personal matter unrelated to the Bloods. 

Prosecutors said the fight inside the bar that night started when Solomon and Burrell spotted a man who’d testified against Burell’s younger brother Myon, who was convicted in the 2002 killing of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards, who was in her house doing homework when a bullet came through the wall of her south Minneapolis homes.

The Minnesota Board of Pardons commuted Myon Burrell’s sentence in 2020 after a joint APM Reports/Associated Press investigation found major problems with the evidence, and an independent expert panel called for his release. Myon Burrell, who was in the courtroom gallery for closing arguments, may be heading back to prison after a Hennepin County judge convicted him on gun and drug charges. 

The convictions of Solomon, Holt, and Michael Burrell are part of a prosecution effort that Luger and multiple law enforcement agencies launched last year targeting gangs including the Bloods, Highs, Lows, 10z and 20z.

So far prosecutors have charged 83 people, and nearly four dozen have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis man is accused of making terroristic threats against a local synagogue, Temple Israel. 

Jaden Thomas Leblanc, 21, has been charged with three counts of terrorisitic threats and one count of fifth-degree assault. 

READ MORE: MPD arrests man for alleged Temple Israel threats, extra patrols announced

Timeline of threats

According to the charges, on Sept. 9, around 2:30 p.m. Leblanc was reportedly seen walking through the Temple Israel parking lot, and was seen drinking a beer and eventually threw the bottle against the wall of Temple Israel’s playground. 

A security guard at the synagogue tried to get Leblanc’s attention as he was walking away, when he turned around and “flipped off” the guard and continued to walk away. 

Around 15 minutes later, Leblanc returned to Temple Israel, and when he was told to leave the property he made a “gun gesture” with both of his hands, towards the security team, court documents say. 

At the same time, one of the security guards tried to ask Leblanc why he broke the beer bottle on the Temple’s playground wall, but Leblanc allegedly “flipped off” the security guard again, made gun gestures with his hands again, and verbally threatened to shoot and kill the security guard. 

The charges say that Leblanc was then told he was trespassed from the Temple’s property. 

In the afternoon of Sept. 10, Leblanc returned to the Temple, and was seen drinking beer near the northside of the Temple’s parking lot. He then threw the bottle into the parking lot. 

A security guard picked up the bottle and brought it to Leblanc, telling him to throw away his bottles in the trash and not on the Temple’s property, court documents say. 

Leblanc picked up the bottle and reportedly threw it at the security guard’s head, but missed. Leblanc then advanced at the security guard, and the guard used his pepper spray to prevent the attack, court documents said. 

Threatening calls

Temple Israel then received three threatening phone calls, with one referencing the pepper spray attack. The caller stated that his brother had been pepper sprayed by a security guard, and then made various threats to the security guard on the phone, court documents said. 

The third call prompted the Temple to go on lockdown, and all the children were brought in from the playground. The caller stated that he was gathering a group to “come for them” and threatened retaliation for the pepper spray incident, the charges allege. 

Leblanc’s arrest

On Oct. 3, Temple security told Minneapolis police Leblanc was standing across the street from the Temple possibly holding a handgun, court documents state. 

Leblanc was reportedly seen switching the gun between his hands and put it in his shirt pocket. When the police arrived, Leblanc fled the area. 

On Oct. 4, police set up surveillance near Temple Israel to locate Leblanc, charges say. He was seen getting into a car, and police initiated a stop, and Leblanc was taken into custody. 

Leblanc allegedly admitted to making several calls to the Temple using a “spoofing application” on his phone, court documents said. He also recounted throwing a rock, a bottle and getting maced. Leblanc told investigators that he has “no issue” with the Jewish community or faith, just with the security guards. 

He is currently in custody, and has his first court appearance on Oct. 8.

What they’re saying

“Mr. Leblanc’s behavior caused fear and concern amongst the Temple Israel community,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “While the evidence available at this time does not suggest that this crime was motivated by bias against the Jewish community, every member of our community deserves to feel safe. We will seek accountability for Mr. Leblanc that ensures community safety.”

Increased patrols

MPD said after meeting with members of the Jewish community, it developed a plan to enhance patrols around synagogues and community centers during the Jewish holy days and the anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.