By David Amoruso
Omari Rosero might have been locked up in a New York State prison, his power still flowed through the cement walls to the outside world. As a Godfather in the United Blood Nation gang he was considered the highest authority in the nationwide organization.
It was a long climb for 41-year-old Rosero. Starting out as a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, a subset of the United Blood Nation, he paid his dues and devoted his entire life to the gang. He went from a “Scrap” to become a “5-Star General” on to a “Low” then a “High” until he eventually rose to the very top: Godfather of the United Blood Nation (UBN).
Gang Rules
As Godfather, he led what once started out as a prison gang in 1993 and now was a violent criminal organization operating throughout the east coast of the United States and counting thousands of members. The group is governed by a common set of 31 rules, known as “The 31,” which were originally written by the founders of the UBN.
Members are expected to conduct themselves and their illegal activity according to rules and regulations set by their leaders. Prominent among these is a requirement to pay monthly dues to the organization, often in the amounts of $31 or $93. A percentage of these funds are transferred to incarcerated UBN leadership in New York, among them Rosero; these funds also are used locally to conduct gang business. Gang dues are derived from illegal activity such as drug trafficking, robberies, wire fraud, and bank fraud, among other forms of illegal racketeering activities.
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UBN members often wear clothing with the color red and share common tattoos or burn marks to show their affiliation. Tattoos include a three-circle pattern, usually burned onto the upper arm, known as a “dog paw”; the acronym “M.O.B.,” which stands for “Member of Bloods”; the words “damu,” or “eastside”; the number five; the five-pointed star; and the five-pointed crown.
Members have distinct hand signs and written codes, which are used to identify other members and rival gang members. For example, the Nine Trey Gangster set of the UBN refer to themselves as “Billies.”
Federal Target
Running such a well-oiled and violent organization tends to attract some heat. Not just from your rivals in the underworld. If you become big enough the law will take notice. Chief among them the FBI.
In May of 2017, federal agents hit 83 alleged leaders and members of the UBN with federal racketeering conspiracy and charges related to murder, attempted murder, violent assault, narcotics distribution, firearms possession and Hobbs Act robbery. Some were also charged with white-collar offenses like bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to financial crimes.
The indictment showed the government took the threat the UBN posed seriously. These weren’t just simple gang bangers fighting over corners. This was an organized criminal group which ran sophisticated schemes and was highly structured with enough muscle to back up threats of violence with the real thing.
“When my office indicted 83 Bloods gang members and senior leaders, the goal was to deliver a major blow to this organized criminal enterprise responsible for raging turf wars, rampant drug distribution and bloody gang violence,” U.S. Attorney R. Andrew Murray told reporters.
Guilty Pleas
Confronted with the government’s full judicial power, on March 12, 2018, Rosero and 34 other UBN bosses, members, and associates pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and related charges in North Carolina, including drug trafficking, wire fraud, firearm possession, and the use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and drug trafficking.
“The assaults, the robberies, the drug deals, each and every crime committed by these ruthless gang members was a blow to the safety of our communities,” said John Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Charlotte. “The guilty pleas by these suspects are the next step in securing justice for every innocent person who was impacted by the violent actions of these gangs members.”
The Godfather speaks
Rosero (photo above), who goes by the nickname “Uno B,” pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. He admitted to holding the leadership rank of “High,” and to serving as an acting “Godfather” of the entire UBN gang.
In a recorded jail call, Rosero admitted to being, together with Pedro “Magoo” Gutierrez and James “Frank White” Baxton, “the last ones that God put in power” over the UBN. He conducted gang business and participated in the distribution of gang dues while incarcerated in the New York State Department of Corrections.
In order to communicate with the outside, he used 35-year-old Porsha Talina Rosero, nicknamed “Lady Uno B” for obvious reasons. She maintained a Facebook account through which private messages were sent from Rosero to other Bloods leaders. She pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and admitted participating in the distribution of gang dues and a phone call during which Rosero stated that a suspected cooperator would be “faded straight up.”
Fallen Bosses
In addition to Omari and Porsha Rosero, seven other defendants with high-ranking leadership positions have previously pleaded guilty in this investigation:
- Montraya Antwain Atkinson, aka Hardbody, 31, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. According to the factual basis of his plea agreement, Atkinson admitted to holding the leadership rank of “High,” and admitted to possessing marijuana and cocaine with intent to distribute, and to purchasing and selling powder cocaine;
- Adrian Nayron Coker, aka Gotti, 28, of Gastonia, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and three counts of possession with intent to distribute narcotics. According to the factual basis of his plea agreement, Coker admitted to holding the leadership rank of “Low,” and to possessing a stolen firearm and ammunition, despite having previously been convicted of a felony. Moreover, according to a court-approved wiretap, Coker was recorded discussing a potential murder of a rival gang member;
- Quincy Delone Haynes, aka Black Montana, 39, of Lawndale, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and three counts of trafficking cocaine. According to the factual basis of this plea agreement, Haynes admitted to holding the leadership rank of “Low”;
- Barrington Audley Lattibeaudiere, aka Bandana and Bobby Seale, 31, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the factual basis of his plea agreement, Lattibeaudiere admitted to holding the leadership rank of “High,” and coordinating the transmission of hundreds of dollars of UBN gang dues to Gutierrez and Baxton. Lattibeaudiere further admitted to participating in a scheme to make and attempt to make over $64,000 in purchases using fraudulent credit and gift cards;
- Bianca Kiashie Harrison, aka Lady Gunz, 28, of Midway Park, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. According to the factual basis of Harrison’s plea agreement, Harrison admitted to holding the leadership rank of “High,” and to participating, at facilities within the New York Department of Corrections, in gang leadership meetings with alleged UBN Godfathers Gutierrez and Baxton;
- MyQuan Lamar Nelson, aka Dripz, 27, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and heroin trafficking, and according to the factual basis of his plea agreement admitted to holding the leadership rank of “Low”; and
- Tywlain Wilson, aka 5 Alive, 25, of Shelby, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and firearm possession in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to the factual basis of his plea agreement, Wilson admitted to holding the leadership rank of “Low.”
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