A trove of gangland documents detailing numerous facets of life of Columbia’s Bloods street gang was found during last week’s FBI-led raids that netted 38 indictments, a federal agent testified in federal court Monday.
The keeper of the documents was Jarius Octavis “Buck” Jones, who was a “one-star general” in the local Bloods, FBI agent Kevin Conroy testified at a federal bond hearing for Jones at the Matthew Perry federal courthouse in Columbia.
“Everything you can ever imagine about the Bloods organization, (Jones) had written down and documented,” testified Conroy, adding the papers were found at Jones’ residence on Longcreek Drive near Broad River Road.
Jones was one of 37 alleged Columbia-area Bloods, as well as an alleged ringleader in California, who were indicted last week on an assortment of gang racketeering, drug-dealing, filing false federal income tax returns and sex-trafficking charges.
Earlier in the nearly two-hour hearing, Conroy testified about the Columbia Bloods. “They definitely have a hierarchy — people that are in charge just like the military,” he said.
The gang’s ruling members are in New York and the lowest members are “soldiers,” also known as “puppies” if they are new members.
Conroy, a 17-year FBI veteran, said Jones acted as local gang bookkeeper, keeping track of finances and meetings. “He is basically like the scribe for the gang” and talked frequently with an alleged Bloods chieftain, David Jenkins, in California.
Jenkins exercised so much control over Columbia gang activities that in one phone call, he told Jones to stop a Bloods member nicknamed Stretch from initiating any new Bloods members without Jenkins’ approval.
Documents seized included papers detailing gang initiations, their regulations and 31 local rules, which they call the “31 flavors” — apparently after the number of flavors popularized by Baskin-Robbins ice cream operation. The main way to get into a Bloods gang is “to get beat in” — which meant having other Bloods hit and kick you for 31 seconds, Conroy testified.
The FBI has numerous wiretaps on which Jones is heard speaking with gang higher-ups, Conroy testified.
Jones’ alleged generalship was disputed by his lawyer, Charles Brooks III of Sumter, who told McCrory “all that is really from their (the FBI’s) own speculation.”
Brooks told McCrory that Jones had a minimal criminal record, family in the area and “no place to go.”
Under questioning from prosecutor assistant U.S. Attorney J.D. Rowell, Conroy testified some members of the gang — who are supposed to never talk to police — have already begun telling the FBI about their criminal activities.
Conroy also testified that Bloods “are expected to retaliate” against anyone — presumably including law enforcement — who poses a threat.
“If you go against the Bloods, you are going to pay the price,” Conroy testified.
McCrory also denied bond to Steven “Red Boy” Bradley, whom Conroy testified was a drug dealer and carried guns “and that in my opinion makes him a dangerous individual.”
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