A gang whose Detroit branch was recently popped by the feds really seemed to put the "organized" in organized crime.
The Vice Lords, a half-century old Chicago-based crew with several branches in Michigan, was overseen by a "governing board ... empowered to order hits on people" known as "Key 21" orders, according to The Detroit News. More than three dozen members, including Kevin "Spaghetti" Fordham of Detroit, were charged in a racketeering indictment Thursday — reportedly one of the largest such cases in Detroit federal court history.
Fordham ... enforcers and other high-ranking leaders (are accused of) orchestrating a racketeering conspiracy since 2012 that included murder, drug dealing, robberies, extortion and stabbings. The indictment also accuses members of ordering hits on inmates within the Michigan Department of Corrections and people on the street.
Prosecutors described the crew as "social media savvy," but it was an apparent lack of savvy that helped them crack its hierarchical structure:
For example, in July 2017, Fordham posted on Facebook that he was the chief enforcer of the gang, according to the indictment.
Law enforcement officers also monitored calls and other communications.
The Vice Lords were featured in an A&E special on gang activity in Chicago in the '90s:
