A man federal prosecutors say crowned himself the “Godfather” of one of Cleveland's most violent street gangs went on trial Monday in U.S. District Court, accused of orchestrating kidnappings, an execution-style killing and a drug operation that stretched from a public housing complex into Ohio's prisons. Raven Mullins, along with co-defendants Malik Brooks and Jayon Florence, has pleaded not guilty to charges that include racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering and drug-conspiracy offenses.
Federal prosecutors say Mullins led the Fully Blooded Felons gang from the Cedar Estates public-housing complex, presiding over it as its alleged godfather and using violence to instill fear and protect his drug territory and income, according to Cleveland.com. Prosecutors say Mullins structured the gang with himself at the top, a 10-member commission beneath him, and roughly 25 capos who carried out orders, according to a separate Cleveland.com report. The gang also had enforcers, an underboss and a set of rules known as the Fully Commandments or Fully Five, which prosecutors say could trigger an expensive fine or harsh violence if broken.
A Teenage Gang Leader's Rise
Mullins allegedly helped create one of Cleveland's largest gangs as a teenager, and prosecutors say he helped build the Heartless Felons inside Ohio juvenile prisons by merging the Young Felons with the Land of the Heartless. Heartless Felons members committed murders, kidnappings, rapes and robberies, prosecutors allege. Mullins later split from that larger gang in 2023 to create the Fully Blooded Felons, which operated mostly out of Cleveland's Central neighborhood but had reach into Akron and Youngstown, the outlet reported. The gang operated from Cedar Estates and from Ohio jails and prisons, including the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown.
Officials say the group imported fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and Suboxone from Texas and Arizona and sold the drugs both on the street and inside correctional facilities, per the same report. Federal agents and police had already raided two Cedar Estates apartments during the investigation, finding guns and drugs, according to Cleveland 19 News.
The Kidnapping and Killing of Raegan Howze-Thornton
Court filings allege Mullins, Brooks, Florence, David Price and Henry Burchett kidnapped 19-year-old Raegan Howze-Thornton from Cedar Estates and held her in an apartment for more than a day. The group allegedly took her phone, read her messages aloud, tied her up and beat her. Gang members killed Howze-Thornton on July 28, 2022, with Mullins, Brooks and Florence accused of shooting her beneath the Interstate 480 overpass at West 3rd Street and Quigley Avenue, firing from distances of one to five feet, prosecutors allege.
Brooks and Florence face charges including accusations of carrying out one of the gang's two alleged killings. The federal case against the group also includes charges alleging gang members kidnapped and sexually assaulted a suspected informant and operated a large-scale drug operation, in addition to the two killings.
A Suspected Informant Held for a Week
In a separate incident, prosecutors say Mullins, Burchett and two other gang members kidnapped a fellow member suspected of cooperating with law enforcement, holding her captive for roughly a week in an apartment at Cedar Estates. Prosecutors allege Mullins threatened to kill the woman while Burchett held a gun to her head, and that Mullins sexually assaulted her. Mullins also allegedly ordered other gang members to beat the woman over the course of the week she was held. Burchett, prosecutors say, helped carry out two kidnappings and one fatal shooting tied to the gang.
The Second Killing and a Burned Getaway Car
Prosecutors allege Mullins, Burchett and James Clemons set out to rob Ahmad Faraj, 35, in a targeted attack on September 12, 2023, and fatally shot him on West 73rd Street and Clark Avenue. Clemons is accused of pulling the trigger in that killing. The group then fled in a stolen Honda Pilot, which they later burned on East 186th Street, according to prosecutors.
Plots the FBI Says It Thwarted
Court records indicate the FBI and police disrupted two violent plots after the bureau began investigating the gang. In one, gang members allegedly plotted to ambush a member who had switched allegiance to the Bloods outside the No Class bar. Members gathered at the Cedar Estates basketball court on July 20, 2023, before driving west on Interstate 90, prosecutors say. FBI agents alerted Cleveland police about the planned attack that day, and a high-ranking gang member, Rodney Linson, called off the assault as members ran from officers.
In another case detailed in court records, Cleveland police arrested a gang member who was allegedly driving around looking for someone to rob so he could post bail for his girlfriend. Gang members also discussed violent plots in text messages that were later included in court filings, prosecutors say.
Most Defendants Have Already Pleaded Guilty
Of the 25 people arrested in the case, 22 have pleaded guilty, while Mullins, Brooks and Florence are the ones who proceeded to trial. Adrionna Null, Kyla Tyler and Myeasha West pleaded guilty to racketeering or kidnapping charges, and David Price agreed to plead guilty to a racketeering charge. Court filings do not indicate whether any of the defendants who pleaded guilty will testify at trial.
Five Fully Blooded Felons members have already been sentenced, with punishments ranging from five years of probation to 15 years and eight months in prison, according to Cleveland.com's reporting. Prosecutors previously said they would not seek the death penalty against Mullins, Burchett or Clemons in the Faraj killing. Federal records show Mullins and Burchett were arrested in the case on December 6, 2023, with an indictment naming Mullins, Burchett and Cortez Tyree unsealed later that month, according to court records filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
