HAMMOND — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.
HAMMOND- Herman Troy Jefferson a/k/a “G-Rilla,” age 51, of Jacksonville, Arkansas, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after being found guilty of racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine following an 18-day jury trial, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Jefferson was sentenced to 204 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is an outlaw motorcycle organization in which its members and associates engaged in acts of violence, extortion, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere. Jefferson served as a National President of the entire club and conspiracy between 2017-2021. As National President Jefferson was 2nd in command behind the founder of the club. Jefferson utilized another motorcycle club to sell and traffic cocaine and marijuana for him. Additionally, he attempted to create a “pyramid scheme” of narcotics trafficking by asking members to contribute $10-$30 K of narcotics to be trafficked across the U.S. and promised a 20 percent return. At trial, individuals testified that Jefferson was confronted because this return on investment never occurred. Finally, as National President, multiple acts of extortion and violence took place under his leadership.
The agencies involved in this prosecution were: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department. Also providing assistance were the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Western District of Kentucky, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick, Michael J. Toth, and Kimberly L. Schultz.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
