Four men plead guilty in LV street gang case
Four members of the Playboy Bloods street gang pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to charges related to the gang's drug trafficking operation in a West Las Vegas public housing complex.
The four were among 10 members arrested last year after a federal investigation into the gang's enterprise, which used violence, including murder, to protect its territory from rival gangs.
The Playboy Bloods even targeted security guards at the complex, known as the Jets, located at H and Doolittle streets, according to the federal indictment.
Under plea agreements, Delvin "D-Luv" Ward, 33, and Demichael "Mikey P" Burks, 25, each pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy. Ward faces a 10-year prison sentence, and Burks faces a 61/2-year term.
Fred "June P" Nix, 33, and Sebastian "Rock" Wigg, 33, each pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy and face six-year prison terms.
All of the prison sentences will be reduced by one year if at least one more defendant pleads guilty by the end of the year. That agreement does not apply to the four defendants who are eligible for the death penalty.
U.S. District Judge Robert C. Jones could reject the plea agreements before sentencing based on the information presented in the defendants' pre-sentence reports, which include details about criminal history and other background information.
During the government's investigation, Playboy Bloods members were recorded on video and audio selling crack cocaine to undercover informants.
The gang often faced off against rival gangs such as GPK, Rolling 60s, Piru Bloods and the Donna Street Crips, and it targeted security officers who barred non-residents from the housing complex, according to the indictment.
Security guard Brian Wilcox was one of the Playboy Bloods' victims, according to the government. In January 2004, Wilcox was trying to resolve a disturbance in the neighborhood. Sensing he would be better off waiting for help, Wilcox, 29, took off on his bicycle. He was shot in the back and later died.
Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@review journal.com or 702-383-0281.
