Minneapolis street gang member sentenced to prison, probation
One of the dozens of alleged gang members arrested and charged in federal court for their suspected involvement in gun violence across Minneapolis has been sentenced, court documents show.
Records filed earlier this week say Amarjah Lester entered a guilty plea to one charge of racketeer influenced corrupt organization and will spend two-and-a-half years in prison and another five years on probation.
Two other counts were dismissed following a motion by prosecutors, according to the sentencing document.
In July, a jury found two men guilty in connection with the federal crackdown on the Highs gang in Minneapolis. In June, three other men were found guilty of similar charges. Also in June, a man among the 43 people arrested and charged in the federal crackdown was sentenced to spend more than a decade in prison.
The crackdown was done via the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which allows federal authorities to prosecute a large number of gang members at once, after first establishing that the gang is part of a sizable criminal enterprise. This was the first time RICO had been used in the city since the law's creation back in the 1970s.