FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) — A Longs woman authorities call the “four-star general” of a subset of a national gang has been sentenced along with eight others on drug and firearms violations.
U.S. District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks characterized the gang as one of the most dangerous criminal organizations the federal government has prosecuted in the Florence and Myrtle Beach areas in many years.
Barbara Lenore Landy, 28, was the leader of a subset of a national criminal street gang, and she communicated directly with a national gang leader who was incarcerated in the western part of the United States, according to Assistant United States Attorney Andy Moorman.
The judge sentenced Landy to 210 months in federal prison on Tuesday for her role in the gang. She remains in the J Reuben Long Detention Center as of Tuesday.
As the leader, or four-star general, in charge, Landy directed drug shipments, assisted in the trafficking of weapons, and ordered the payment of “homage,” or dues by inferior gang members, U.S. Attorney Sherri A. Lydon said in a statement on Tuesday after the sentencing.
The judge also sentenced Joshua Randall, 31, to 195 months in federal prison. Randall was a lieutenant in the gang who reported directly to Landy and sold kilogram quantities of heroin and/or fentanyl to customers in the Myrtle Beach and Florence areas, the court ruled. During the course of the investigation, police arrested Randall on two separate occasions while in possession of guns and drugs.
Lee Tracy Riggins, 27, was also a member of the gang. The government presented evidence that Riggins participated in the gang’s drug distribution and firearms trafficking networks and was integral in gathering guns to be transported to and sold in New York, New York, to generate revenue for the gang. For his part, the judge sentenced Riggins to 120 months in federal prison.
The remaining defendants sentenced were either lower level members of the street gang or non-gang members. Stanley Weaver, Brandon Randall, Jerrick Thomas, Dominique Chatman, Douglas Hart, and Joey Sinclair garnered combined sentences of 130 months, ranging from 35 months in federal prison to time served.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the DEA, the Horry County Sheriff’s Office, the Horry County Police Department, the Myrtle Beach Police Department, the North Myrtle Beach Police Department, the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit, and the Georgetown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andy Moorman, Everett McMillian, and Justin Holloway prosecuted the case.
