In a federal jury decision, Vincent Grant, identified as a member of the Memphis-based gang Unknown Vice Lords, was found guilty for his role in a retaliatory gang-related murder. The conviction is connected to the January 10, 2019, murder of the gang's leader in Tennessee, an event that triggered a series of retaliatory acts targeting alleged traitors and rival gang members. According to court documents, Vincent Grant, 41, also known as “V-Slash,” was linked to the subsequent killing of a fellow Unknown Vice Lords member who was mistakenly believed to be responsible for the gang leader’s death, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
After a weeklong trial and less than an hour of deliberation, the jury handed down their verdict implicating Grant's involvement in this gang-infested cycle of violence within the city and spreading to Arkansas, Mississippi, with UVL's criminal activities ranging from brutal assassinations and assaults to human and drug trafficking, this according to evidence presented at trial. Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, remarked on the case's conclusion, "This violent gang brutally executed one of their own and left the body on display as a warning that betrayal would not be tolerated," as stated in the press release.
The high-ranking gang member was convicted of causing death by use of firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, the specified offense being murder in aid of racketeering, with the fatal incident traced back to a divisive decision in the gang's hierarchical structure that resulted in a bloody purging. Grant's sentencing is set for September 19, where he faces a potential life sentence.
Investigative agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Memphis Police Department, and the United States Secret Service collaborated in the case to investigate the activities of the gangs and their impact on the community and, as acting Director Daniel Driscoll of the ATF stressed, the group's "brutal executions, carried out openly in residential neighborhoods in broad daylight, sent a chilling message of intimidation; but ATF and our law enforcement partners sent an even stronger one back: violence and fear will not prevail." The prosecution of this complex case was carried out by Trial Attorneys Lisa Thelwell and Christopher Usher of the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, a vital piece of the broader effort to prosecute violent gang activities in Memphis.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative, a coordinated effort by federal and local law enforcement to address gang-related violence. The initiative applies federal laws and resources to prosecute individuals involved in such activities and to prevent further crimes in Memphis and surrounding areas.
