Raleigh gang leader sentenced to 20 years in federal prison

NEW BERN, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh gang leader was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, the US Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Raymond Lawrence Brown was sentenced to 240 months in prison for leading a violent Bloods gang that dealt cocaine and crack and "terrorizing a southern Raleigh community through violence and intimidation."

Brown pleaded guilty on May 11, 2021, to possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute.

"This conviction and sentence ensure that a violent gang leader will remain in federal prison for the next two decades," said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. "We will continue to partner with law enforcement at every level to identify, investigate, and prosecute the individuals driving the violence in our community."

According to court documents and other evidence presented in court, Brown received an enhancement for his involvement in at least one murder, the DOJ said.

During the sentencing hearing, law enforcement said that after the robbery of a house that Brown used for drug dealing in 2019, he retaliated by issuing an order to murder one of the robbery suspects.

On June 10, 2019, the robbery suspect was found shot to death.

The DOJ said in its case that Brown coordinated, directed, or supplied drug deals carried out by subordinates in the gang among other illegal activities.