Ala. gang member sentenced in prison scheme to defraud Home Depot

By Carol Robinson
al.com

ATLANTA — A 44-year-old member of the Gangster Disciples gang has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a prison-based conspiracy targeting retailers throughout the country.

Otis “Big O” Bowers, of Bessemer, was sentenced to 235 months – more than 19 years – in prison.

He is the last defendant involved in the wide-ranging scam to be sentenced, according to a joint announcement Thursday by Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis.

U.S. District Court Judge Karon O. Bowdre previously sentenced other defendants involved in the scheme:

– Ricardo “Raoul” Poole Sr ., 48, of Bessemer, was sentenced Aug. 15, 2023, to 234 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and aggravated identity theft.

– Ricardo Poole Jr . 25, of Birmingham, was sentenced to 15 months in prison on June 27, 2023, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

– Kortney Jovan Simon, 43, a Birmingham man who was a manager and supervisor of the conspiracy, sentenced Nov. 20, 2023, to 144 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.

– Terry Ray “Skitzo” Bradshaw, 39, of Remlap, was sentenced to 61 months in prison in October 2023 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, between September 2020 and May 2022, Poole Sr . led a group of inmates housed at Donaldson Correctional Facility who used telephone scams called “skits” to trick Home Depot employees into activating pre-paid gift cards.

“Skit runners” used contraband cell phones, social engineering techniques, and spoofing technology to trick retailers into transferring funds to inmates under fraudulent pretenses. The defendants would use the fraudulently activated gift cards to make purchases.

Bradshaw was a “skit runner” who was housed at Donaldson for most of the period charged in the indictment.

In private Facebook messages Bradshaw referred to himself as a “hacker” and a “professional phone scam artist.”

For example, on Nov. 21, 202, Bradshaw told a Facebook contact that he was “the best scam artist this side of (the) Mississippi.”

Bradshaw worked for members of the Gangster Disciples—a violent national criminal gang, founded in Chicago, and active across the U.S., including Alabama.

Authorities said Poole Sr ., Simon and Bowers were all members of the Gangster Disciples. Poole, Jr. assisted Poole, Sr. in the carrying out the scheme.

Bradshaw targeted Home Depot and other retailers with “skit” calls. He would then provide the gift card information he obtained to other members of the conspiracy who would purchase products or take steps to liquidate the cards.

In exchange for his work as a “skit runner,” Bradshaw received protection from the Gangster Disciples, luxury items like Cartier glasses, and controlled substances like methamphetamine.

As Poole Sr . explained in a series of messages he sent to a co-conspirator: “I got to pay the dude that be ordering shit,” “[h]e on ice so I got to keep him hi[gh],” and “I got to pay this dude to keep this shit coming.”

As part of the scheme, Poole Sr . conspired with Bowers and others to smuggle controlled substances into Donaldson, including methamphetamine and heroin.

One of the ways in which members of the conspiracy smuggled contraband into Donaldson and other ADOC facilities was by paying bribes to correctional staff.

At other times, members of the conspiracy smuggled contraband into Donaldson and other ADOC facilities by throwing it over the perimeter fence, i.e., the “fence play.”

As Poole Sr . explained to a co-conspirator, “I can get it thrown over or I can have it placed somewhere out there and have it brought in.”

In March 2022, Bowers and Poole Sr . worked together to smuggle controlled substances and other contraband into Donaldson in a “fence play.”

Their efforts were interrupted by law enforcement who confronted a group of co-conspirators trespassing on state property at Donaldson.

After being confronted by ADOC officers, the subjects dropped multiple bags containing contraband and fled into a wooded area near the facility.

Among other things, the bags contained heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, Delta-Nine-Tetrahydrocannabinol, and over a kilogram methamphetamine.

ADOC officers also recovered a Ruger pistol, 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition; an extended gun magazine; five pocket knives, one canister of pepper spray; 15 packages of Suboxone, a prescription medication used to treat opioid use disorder; seven packages of Buprenorphine, another prescription medication used to treat opioid use disorder; 18 small packages containing more than 3.2 kilograms of suspected marijuana; 27 packages of THC gummies; cell phones; cell phone chargers; cell phone cables; a mobile hotspot; memory cards; SIM cards; scales; lighters; individually wrapped cigarillos and cigar wrappers; and shoes, jewelry, and watches.

The U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Canter and John M. Hundscheid prosecuting.

Home Depot’s Asset Protection Investigations – Organized Retail Crime Group, the Alabama Department of Corrections Law Enforcement Services Division, the DEA, and the FBI assisted in the lengthy probe.

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