Operation Macon Gotti has landed nearly an entire alleged gang behind bars, with 12 of 13 people indicted under Georgia’s RICO law now in custody and one suspect still on the run, according to county officials. The sweep follows an April 14 grand jury indictment accusing a Macon-Bibb County crew of slipping drugs into correctional facilities and backing up the trade with violence.
The 13-person indictment, returned April 14, charges the group under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute, as reported by The Telegraph. Authorities say the case grew out of a coordinated push involving the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and a slate of federal and state partners.
Who’s in custody and who’s sought
According to The Georgia Sun, the 12 people now behind bars are:
- 33-year-old Keith Beddingfield Jr., who was already serving a life sentence
- 22-year-old Donnie White
- 26-year-old Corey Tremaine Wallace
- 43-year-old Terrell Eugene Mills
- 41-year-old Shaun Mills
- 15-year-old Jacorey Williams
- 28-year-old Adredreaqua Shanell Kendall, who turned herself in
- 32-year-old Andre Miguel Diadell Jr.
- 54-year-old Carlos Angelo Sledge
- 54-year-old Melissa Ann Braxton
- 29-year-old Oriental Chardonnea Wilson, who turned herself in
- 21-year-old Tishon Jacorey Wiley, who turned himself in
Investigators say the lone holdout is 28-year-old Alexandria Shanell Kendall, who remains at large. The sheriff’s office has released her photo and is asking the public to keep an eye out.
How investigators say the ring worked
Deputies say the investigation focused on a drug-distribution outfit that allegedly funneled contraband into prisons and relied on violence and robberies to shield its operation. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office ran the effort with federal and state partners, according to 41NBC/WMGT.
Legal implications
Under Georgia’s RICO statute, prosecutors can treat an alleged pattern of criminal activity as the work of a single criminal enterprise, pulling multiple predicate offenses into one sweeping case and increasing potential exposure for defendants. The statute’s purpose and application are laid out in the Georgia Code, and local reporting notes those tools are being brought to bear in this investigation.
What’s next
With nearly all of the defendants now in custody, prosecutors are expected to begin setting pretrial dates, and the case could move toward coordinated hearings covering multiple defendants at once. Meanwhile, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is still trying to track down Alexandria Shanell Kendall and asks anyone with information to call (478) 751-7500 or contact Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68-CRIME, according to The Telegraph.
