Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher today sentenced Rashaud Nesmith, a/k/a Shaud, age 21, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 40 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy charge in connection with Nesmith’s participation in a group that conspired to commit multiple armed carjackings and robberies throughout Baltimore City, as well as for a second racketeering charge in connection with his participation in the violent street gang known as Cruddy Conniving Crutballs or Triple C, a group that conspired to commit other violent acts, including attempted murder and murder, in Baltimore City.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
“Rashaud Nesmith’s mayhem is over and he’s now being held responsible for his actions,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. “I want to express my appreciation to our law enforcement partners for the tremendous investigation that led to this prosecution. We will hold accountable those who commit violence in our communities, but we also offer a helping hand to assist at-risk individuals to avoid this result.”
“Rashaud Nesmith participated in murders, non-fatal shootings, carjackings, armed robberies, and more. The victims were innocent, simply going about their lives in the city and attacked without provocation. Now he will spend decades in prison what he’s done,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby. “By applying the crime gun intelligence model of investigating, ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to do everything in our power to remove violent offenders from Baltimore’s streets.”
“I want to extend my gratitude to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and all of our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts. This case is another great example of the collaborative work in using all the tools in our toolbelt to continue to identify, arrest and convict violent offenders,” said Commissioner Michael Harrison. “I hope that this sentence will bring some closure to the families, friends and loved ones.”
Nesmith admitted that in connection with the carjacking and robbery conspiracy, he participated in a carjacking, two armed robberies and an attempted armed robbery. During the commission of the crimes, two victims were shot and killed, and one victim was shot and seriously injured. Specifically, Nesmith participated in a carjacking on April 19, 2019, where a firearm was brandished; the July 23, 2019 robbery of Devon Chavis during which at least one member of the conspiracy discharged a firearm, striking and killing Chavis; the August 1, 2019, attempted robbery of Kendrick Sharpe, during which at least one member of the conspiracy fired a gun, striking and killing Sharpe; and the August 8, 2019 robbery of a victim, during which at least one member of the conspiracy fired a gun, striking and severely injuring the victim. In addition, Nesmith knew that his co-conspirators would commit other acts that he did not participate in, including a carjacking on June 12, 2019, where an individual was shot and killed, and five additional carjackings committed from June 12, 2019, through July 29, 2019.
Nesmith also admitted to participating in the Triple C conspiracy. According to Nesmith’s plea agreement, as a member of Triple C, Nesmith and other gang members engaged in a pattern of criminal racketeering activity between 2015 and 2020, including more than a dozen murders and numerous non-fatal shootings, robberies, and carjackings, in order to promote the reputation of Triple C and to command respect from the neighborhood. Other spin-offs of the gang are “SCL” and recently, “TRD.”
As detailed in the plea agreement, the gang benefitted financially from, and affected interstate commerce by, selling narcotics, murdering drug dealers, taking contract killings, and engaging in street robberies. Nesmith acknowledged that as part of his activities with Triple C, he distributed controlled substances, including crack cocaine. Triple C members also robbed dice games for cash and occasionally carjacked vehicles. Members divided the proceeds of the robberies and murders among members who participated, and they often contacted each other to commit a robbery if that member needed money.
Also, according to the plea agreement, Triple C members routinely used social media to identify and locate victims and to communicate with each other and share information concerning possible retaliation for violent crimes committed by gang members. Triple C members and associates used at least 14 firearms to commit crimes, often trading firearms with each other or other groups to avoid detection through ballistic evidence. They limited conversations about criminal plans to members of Triple C and critiqued each other after committing crimes regarding ways to improve their actions. Nesmith admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that members of the conspiracy would commit additional murders, attempted murders, carjackings, and robberies.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in these investigations and thanked the FBI and the Office of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney for their assistance in the investigations and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Brandon K. Moore, who prosecuted the case.
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