A Boston man, with affiliations to a notably violent gang, admitted to a slew of charges including racketeering and attempted murder, federal officials said yesterday. Daronde Bethea, known on the streets as "Freeze," entered his plea in a federal court, potentially facing decades behind bars for his role in the Cameron Street gang, a group entrenched in the violence of Boston's Dorchester area.
Bethea, 32, of Boston and Brockton, was taken down as part of a larger crackdown on gang activity. He pled guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise and related charges, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice. The court set his sentencing for May 16, with the presiding U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young. The DOJ claims Bethea tried to forever silence a rival in June 2018, shooting the victim numerous times and leaving them with a collapsed lung.
The gang, noted for its presence on social media where they notoriously promote their activities and intimidate rivals, is tied to a darker underworld of gun violence, drug distribution, and human trafficking. Caught on police footage with a loaded handgun after a July 2018 home invasion in Canton, Bethea's criminal repertoire extends to armed robberies and other acts of violence that bolstered the gang’s illicit ventures.
Under the specter of the RICO conspiracy and other charges, Bethea could be sentenced to up to 20 years for each count along with fines that might amount to half a million dollars. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm could add up to another decade in prison. The task force, led by acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy and supported by a coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, continues to aggressively work to dismantle organized crime networks threatening the community’s safety.
The effort is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative designed to pool resources and expertise in the effort to take down high-level criminal organizations. The indictment remains an allegation as the remaining gang members await their day in court. The presumption of innocence is a cornerstone of the American legal system, one that stands until guilt is proven in the theater of the courtroom beyond reasonable doubt.
