SALT LAKE CITY — A verdict was reached late Thursday after a nearly five-week trial involving seven members of the Tongan Crip Gang.
Six of the seven were found guilty of various crimes committed as part of a racketeering conspiracy, as charged by federal prosecutors. Several reached plea agreements with prosecutors on various counts and one of the accused was acquitted. Each has already served time in prison after being convicted of offenses in state court.
All seven men are expected to be sentenced in December or January, by U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell, who presided over the trial.
Accused of being part of "a criminal enterprise that exists for criminal purposes," as U.S. Attorney Veda Travis said in closing arguments earlier this week, the men filed in and out of the courtroom dressed in suits and ties and respectfully succumbed to being handcuffed following the reading of the verdict.
"There is no such thing as gang to us," said Kena Kamoto, the father of David Kamoto aka "D-Down", who was acquitted of the federal charges Thursday. "It just means people getting together to have fun."
The seven men, inlcuding David Kamoto, Eric Kamahele aka "Smooth," Daniel Maumau aka "D-Loc," Kepa Maumau aka "Kap-Loc," Charles Moa aka "Slim-Loc," Sitamipa Toki aka "Tok-Loc," Mataika Tuai aka "Fish" and David Walsh aka "D-Nutt," were among 17 suspected TCG members indicted on about 30 crimes — mostly robberies committed between 2003 and 2008 — last year. Another man was acquitted earlier in the trail and five others previously reached plea agreements with prosecutors. The remaining four are scheduled for trial next year.
They were all charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO, as it is assumed that each performed various criminal actions in order to remain a member of the gang.
Campbell dismissed a 12-member jury Thursday and said they had been "one of the most diligent" juries she's worked with in her 15 years on the bench. She said they performed "a hard job."
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