Three hundred month prison sentence imposed for gang killings

Washington, D.C. - Tommy Dorsey, a member of the "M Street Crew," has been sentenced to concurrent sentences of 300 months in prison for participating in narcotics trafficking and racketeering conspiracies that included the murder of two individuals in 2000, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced today.

Dorsey, 27, formerly of 509 46th Street, SE, Washington, D.C., received his sentence on February 1, 2008, in U.S. District Court before the Honorable Rosemary Collyer. Dorsey pled guilty on January 17, 2007, during jury selection, to participating in a conspiracy to distribute more than one kilogram of PCP (phencyclidine), more than 50 grams of cocaine base, also known as crack, and ecstasy (methamphetamine). He also pled guilty to participating in a racketeering enterprise conspiracy and admitted to racketeering acts involving the August 1, 2000 home invasion burglary and murders of William Cunningham and Christopher Lane, at 4934 Foote Street, NE, Washington, D.C.

Dorsey was convicted, along with co-defendants Jonte Robinson and Larry Gooch, for burglarizing the apartment occupied by William Cunningham and Christopher Lane. During the break-in, Gooch shot William Cunningham in the head and Dorsey shot Christopher Lane in the back of the head as Lane was lying on the floor in a corner of the apartment. The men were joined for trial when jury selection began, and both Dorsey and Robinson entered guilty pleas during jury selection. Larry Gooch continued to trial and was convicted for his role in the same murders, as well as additional murders and drug trafficking offenses. The judge had directed the prosecutors and the defense attorneys not disclose the outcome of Dorsey's case so as not to unfairly prejudice Larry Gooch as he proceeded with his jury trial.

Tommy Dorsey was one of over 40 people who have been convicted of drug conspiracy and racketeering charges involving the investigation and prosecution of the "M Street Crew." The crew, a violent drug gang, conducted a notorious PCP (phencyclidine), crack cocaine and ecstacy distribution ring that operated in the neighborhood of 18th and M Streets, NE between 1997 and 2004.

To date, approximately 40 members have been convicted for their roles as participants in the M Street Crew. The prosecution grew out of the investigative activities of a long-term FBI/MPD alliance called the Safe Streets Task Force. That task force targeted certain violent drug trafficking gangs in the District of Columbia and spent two years gathering the evidence against the M Street Crew. The U.S. Attorney specifically commended the actions of FBI Special Agent Richard Stallings and MPD Detective Joseph Sopata, who led the investigative team. The Safe Streets Initiative was funded in part by the Baltimore Washington High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area as well as the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. In addition, the U.S. Attorney commended the two prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darlene M. Soltys and John P. Dominguez, who prosecuted the cases.

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