Fayetteville gang leader deemed 'priority number one' sentenced to 35 years

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- One of Fayetteville's most notorious gang members and drug traffickers is off the streets.

The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced Wednesday that Genesis Lee Whitted Jr. was sentenced to 35 years in prison and five years of supervised release.

A joint investigation conducted by the Fayetteville Police Department and the FBI revealed that Whitted was the leader of a violent, Fayetteville-based Bloods gang called "Addicted to Money" or "A.T.M."

Authorities said Whitted and other members of the gang have been linked to serious crimes in the Fayetteville community, including home invasion robberies, carjackings, shootings, financial fraud, and drug trafficking.

Whitted and other members of A.T.M. regularly possessed firearms in furtherance of their crimes.

The Department of Justice said Whitted was responsible for manufacturing and distributing large amounts of narcotics, primarily cocaine and crack over almost 10 years.

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Because he was so adept at manufacturing cocaine base, he even obtained tattoos on his chest of a Pyrex measuring cup and a box of baking soda - key implements in the cocaine base manufacturing process.

In late 2015, Whitted opened a purported car wash called LLB Auto Spa on Pamalee Drive in Fayetteville.

Using covert surveillance techniques, the FBI and FPD recorded Whitted and his accomplices' activities.

The recordings showed that over the course of several months, many cars pulled in and out of the car wash, but very few cars were actually washed.

It appeared that the "car wash" was primarily a place for drug transactions to occur.

In addition to drug dealing, Whitted and other A.T.M members were feared due to their propensity for violent home invasion robberies of other drug dealers.

Girlfriends of drug dealers were also frequently harmed during these invasions.

On two occasions, Whitted and his accomplices poured boiling water on the victims until they disclosed the locations of the drugs and/or currency.

During one of these invasions, a taser was deployed on a woman's genital area.

Because of the threat posed by Whitted, the Fayetteville Police Department deemed him "priority number one."

Six of his associates have also been charged, convicted, and sentenced in federal court